Pokémon Emerald: Hoenn Adventures
by Orangen
Summary: Emerald-based. Lynnie Maple is ultimately dragged into being a trainer by her father inconsiderately becoming a gym leader. On her quest to be the best, she has to deal with Contests, Teams Magma and Aqua, and her own inability to stay out of trouble. Epilogue: Vs Swampert!
1. Prologue: Vs Skiploom!

_Disclaimer_: Obviously, I don't own Pokémon Emerald… Or Pokémon Special, or even the anime for that matter. Why would I be writing fanfiction about it if I did?

_Author's Note_: Uh… Yeah, after a nice long break of having this down, I'm re-posting it. It probably wouldn't have been down so long if I hadn't lost the old nine chapters, and if I could read my own horrible handwriting. Anyway, edits aplenty are ahead, and will be most evident in a couple of teams, and one or two of the chapters becoming less wordy.

**Prologue: Vs Skiploom!**

"And for our final test—Miss Maple and Mr. Turner! Please come forward!"

Lynnie Maple grinned as she rose from her seat. At Earl's Pokémon Academy, practice battles were a weekly grade, and she excelled at them. Her contrarily poor written grades irked her parents, but she seemed to recall types and attacks by "just doing it." However, she really tried not to dwell on her low test grades so much…

As Lynnie made her way up to Earl's podium, her test partner, Theo Turner, swaggered up from his desk and flipped his blue hat backwards. His yellow T-shirt and denim shorts were ridiculously baggy, and Lynnie always got a good laugh over how he tried to make himself look less scrawny. After the pair had reached the front of the room, their balding headmaster handed each of them a Pokéball.

"Your goal is to make use of combination attacks," Earl explained briefly. "Now, go!"

Combination attacks were one of Lynnie's favorite topics. She couldn't memorize them for a test to save her life, but in a battle she could think quickly enough to pair up attacks depending on what Pokémon she received. Studying didn't work, but practicing did.

Lynnie eagerly released her test Pokémon, a Donphan. Noticing the Skiploom floating near Theo, Lynnie crossed her eyes as she realized she had a type disadvantage. She soon grinned again, however, as she remembered a pair of Donphan's attacks.

"Skiploom, use Sunny Day!"

"Defense Curl!"

Donphan tightly curled itself into a ball. Skiploom closed its eyes in concentration, and the classroom suddenly grew warmer and brighter.

"Solar Beam!" Theo smirked.

"Use Roll Out to dodge and hit it!" Lynnie countered.

Skiploom tilted itself forward slightly as it shot a lime-green beam out of the flower on its head. However, Donphan rolled out of the way just in time, causing the attack to leave a mark on the floor. As Donphan built up momentum, a few students in the front row shrieked as it rolled dangerously close to the desks, but it quickly turned and crashed into Skiploom. The plant Pokémon was almost instantly knocked out.

"Huh?" Theo blinked.

"That's right!" Lynnie pointed a victorious finger at the short boy. "Just 'cuz you _think _you have a type advantage doesn't mean you _really_ do!"

"True, Miss Maple. However…" Earl closed his eyes and sighed as he withdrew the two test Pokémon. "I do wish you'd be that confident on the paper tests."

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" Lynnie demanded as she felt her face turn red; a few students in the back of the room had started to laugh.

Earl simply shook his head at her and turned back to the class. "This concludes the battling portion of the tests. I will hand out the written section after lunch. For some of you, it may be wise to study, but those of you who are ahead may choose to work on tomorrow's essay."

Lynnie sighed in frustration as she headed to the school's library.

* * *

Grumbling under her breath, Lynnie pulled a red T-shirt over her head the next morning. She'd apparently forgotten to set her alarm clock again, and both of her parents were already gone. She knew her mother had left early to pick up a shipment of parts from her computer company, but her father was only Ho-oh knows where…

Tying her green bandanna over her head, Lynnie grabbed her matching side-slung school bag and proceeded to clear the stairs down to the kitchen in record time. She grabbed an apple and her lunch from the refrigerator, and hurried out the front door. Moments later she realized she hadn't locked it, and had to double back to do so.

Fortunately, her house wasn't too far from the academy, and a few minutes later Lynnie ducked under a window to finish eating her apple. She sighed when she got down to the core, and tossed it towards a nearby pair of Rattata. The two instantly began fighting over it, and Lynnie blinked. Then she turned back to the school building.

_I hope Earl hasn't started lecturing yet…_

Lynnie crossed her eyes as she raised herself onto her knees. She carefully raised herself just high enough to peek through the window, but quickly ducked back down. Her bare knees were starting to get cold—the ground was still wet from the rain the night before—but Lynnie was considering crawling away from the cliché brick building to avoid getting in trouble.

Realizing she'd just get in _more_ trouble if she skipped school, the blonde girl sighed again, edged towards the door, and stood up. Her knees and shoes had gotten dirty from crawling, but since she was already late, there wasn't anything she could do besides hope no one noticed. Lynnie slowly opened the door, quietly closed it behind her, and tiptoed to her desk, or at least until…

"Ah, Miss Maple, I'm glad you've joined us. I assume you have last night's homework?"

Lynnie cringed as Earl turned from the chalkboard. The fact that he'd only written a few lines of notes wasn't very comforting.

"Yes, sir," Lynnie muttered, pulling her somewhat crumpled essay out of her bag. Feeling the stares of her classmates, Lynnie slowly brought the paper (a response to the prompt _Compare and contrast the status ailments paralysis and sleep_) up to the front of the room. After dropping it on Earl's podium, she scurried back to her seat.

"I'll speak to you before lunch, Miss Maple. Now please get out your notebook—we're beginning to discuss Bug- and Grass-type Pokémon."

* * *

"So, what did he say?"

Lynnie sighed as her friend Crys waited expectantly for an answer. Crys was fourteen (two years older than Lynnie) and was already an accomplished trainer. Why Crys still had to go to school was beyond Lynnie, but Crys had once explained it as "getting a new perspective."

"We-ell… He docked me ten points on the essay for being late. Then he kindly informed me that since I didn't do so well on the written test yesterday, if I didn't get a seventy or better on the next one…"

"He'll call your parents?" Crys finished.

"Yeah," Lynnie grumbled, chewing angrily on a piece of her ham sandwich, as if her test grade was its fault.

"Did you study at all for it?" Crys asked as she delicately took a sip of water.

"Yes." Lynnie rolled her eyes. "But what about that last question, huh? _List at least three Pokémon from each type, including Pokémon not native to Johto if necessary_? I almost forgot that there even were at least three Ghost types!"

"What will I do with you, Lynnie?" Crys shook her head, her blue ponytails bouncing slightly.

"You could always just lend me your Pokédex," Lynnie suggested, trying to look innocent.

"That would be cheating," Crys accused.

"…So?"

Crys simply sighed as Lynnie finished off her sandwich. Lynnie opened her mouth again, but Earl immediately stood up and knocked on his podium for attention.

"Everyone back to your seats! Lunch break is over!"

Students scrambled back to their desks, throwing away empty water bottles and clicking pens in preparation for more notes. Lynnie quickly shoved her sandwich wrapper back into her bag and held her pen over her paper expectantly.

"Where'd we leave off… Oh yes, common attacking patterns between Bug- and Grass-types… Status-inflicting attacks are very, very simple! Are you writing this down?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes, scribbling hastily to keep up…

* * *

"Mom, Dad! I'm home!"

Lynnie left her school bag near the front door as she ran upstairs to her parents' room. Her mother was sitting at the computer desk, absently fiddling with a few wires in the CPU.

"Mom?"

Mrs. Maple stood up quickly, a somewhat distant look in her eyes. "Oh, Lynnie—you're soaked!"

Lynnie looked down at her clothes. Her red T-shirt and black shorts clung to her body, and her bandanna trapped her wet hair to her head. It had started raining again on the way home, and despite the previous night's weather, Lynnie hadn't brought her umbrella to school. She'd figured she lived so close to Earl's Pokémon Academy (unlike Crys, who took a bus from New Bark Town) that it really wouldn't have mattered.

"Yeah, I guess I should've paid more attention. Anyway, where's Dad? The house was empty when I woke up this morning."

Mrs. Maple averted her eyes back to the CPU. "He… He said he'd get back to us by Sunday, but… Well, we'll just have to wait for him to call back…"

"Why Sunday?" Lynnie cried. "That's two whole days from now! Where _is_ he, Mom? What's he doing? Did someone we know get sick or something?"

Lynnie realized she'd been talking faster than she'd meant to when she stopped to breathe. Mrs. Maple sighed, still not looking at her daughter.

"Lynnie, dear, have you heard about Petalburg City, in Hoenn?"

"Yeah, there was an article about in the paper last night, why?"

"So you know that the old gym leader recently retired, and that they've been looking for a new one, right?"

"Yes… And this has exactly what to do with Dad?"

Mrs. Maple finally looked back at Lynnie, and the girl blinked at the slightly confused look on her mother's face.

"You… don't know?"

"Um, no…"

"He wants to try to apply for the position, dear."

There was dead silence. Then…

"But why? We'll have to _move_ if he makes it! What about school, and my grades? And what do I day to Crys?" Lynnie exploded.

"Lynnie, slow down!" Her mother pinched the bridge of her nose. "You'll have to talk to your _father_ about this—it's _his_ choice! Besides, he called me earlier and said that, due to a scheduling issue, he'll have to wait until tomorrow to apply, which is why we'll have to wait until Sunday to find out!"

"But you know he'll be the one to make it!" Lynnie shot back. "I hardly ever even get to see him anymore because he's always training!"

Lynnie stormed away into her own room before Mrs. Maple could respond. She flung herself onto her bed, ignoring the rain that was still pounding away outside. Not feeling bothered to change, Lynnie simply took off her wet bandanna—she didn't her wet head to develop into a cold, on top of most likely having to move.

Despite the fact that it was only 4:30, the rain made the sky outside her window look prematurely dark. Lynnie angrily turned off her lamp, letting her room go dark as well. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to fall asleep and hoping that somehow her father wouldn't make the job.

* * *

Saturday afternoon, Norman called his wife from a payphone outside his new gym. The scheduling issue had been caused by two of the applicants backing out, so the testing had ultimately gone by faster despite the delay. A friend of his who lived in nearby Littleroot Town would help them find a house, and Norman himself planned to stay in the gym and set up a cot until the house was ready.

Lynnie, listening to the conversation through an extension, slammed down the receiver and stomped back upstairs into her room.


	2. Chapter One: Vs Zigzagoon!

_Quick Note_: Uh, yeah, team change becomes evident this chapter. Why? Because the only two Hoenn water-types I like are Ludicolo and Swampert, and currently I'm under the influence that Swampert is better than Ludicolo. And if Lynnie has Swampert than she can't have Blaziken, obviously.

Oh, and if you haven't checked my profile, go there to see trainer cards for pretty much everyone (important) in this fanfiction.

**Chapter One: Vs Zigzagoon!**

"Second-to-last stop, Rustboro City… Second-to-last stop…"

A tired voice murmured over the loudspeaker as the train screeched to a halt. Lynnie and her mother staggered out into the station with a few other passengers, and the train just as quickly took off. The rest of the passengers left, shaking their heads, and Lynnie began to shiver in the cold. She'd known it would be night by the time they arrived, and she knew she should have worn something other than a sleeveless T-shirt and shorts, but of course she'd accidentally packed her only jacket into a box. And, go figure, her parents had decided to ship the few things they were actually keeping ahead of them, so their belongings would arrive at the train station before they did.

"Look, Lynnie," Mrs. Maple nudged her daughter and pointed out to the darkened road. "The moving van's arriving."

A large blue truck with a Pokéball logo on the side slowly pulled up to the station. The driver honked his horn and waved, and Lynnie and Mrs. Maple hurried over. Mrs. Maple climbed into the passenger seat as she smiled gratefully at the driver, and Lynnie sighed. There was no more room in the front of the truck, so she had to crawl into the back with the boxes.

The truck then pulled away, and Lynnie crossed her eyes at the retreating station…

* * *

Lynnie woke up stiff the next morning for some reason. Eyes closed, she sat up, stretched, and yawned. She then slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by boxes and the dull yellow-brown walls of the moving truck. Groaning, she attempted to go back to sleep, hoping she was dreaming.

The dream theory was disproved, however, when the back of the truck slid open—the bright morning light proved that Lynnie was indeed awake.

"Lynnie?" Mrs. Maple called.

Lynnie silently squirmed behind a particularly large box, hoping her mother would think she was still asleep. Apparently it worked, as Mrs. Maple sighed audibly, and then the creak of the front door of the house was heard. Soon after, the driver released his Pokémon—a Machoke and a Vigoroth—and the two quickly began to unload boxes.

Lynnie sighed as the boxes began to disappear, and slowly crawled out of the truck. Her mother conveniently appeared at the front door just as Lynnie's sneakers hit the lawn.

"Oh, Lynnie—they're just about finished unloading everything! Come on!"

As she was practically carried over to the house, Lynnie noted that her mother was being a bit peppier than usual for so early in the morning. She blinked as she looked at the house, trying to figure out _why_. So far, it looked like all the other houses on the block: two stories, brown roof, tan shutters, a cute perfectly trimmed lawn. The only difference was the color of the flowerbed; theirs was mostly red with a few spots of orange.

"Isn't the outside adorable?" Mrs. Maple grinned. "Here, go on in!"

She didn't notice her daughter rolling her eyes as she dragged the girl inside. The mover's Pokémon were setting down the last few boxes, and mostly everything was out, if not a bit messy. Lynnie sighed as she looked at all the new furniture in the kitchen—the small square table, red covered chairs, and a black refrigerator. In the den the next room over, a black leather couch, a mahogany coffee table, and a TV replaced their old belongings.

Mrs. Maple then pointed to a set of stairs in the back of the kitchen. "The bedrooms are upstairs, and we have new furniture for them, too! We even have a spare room now! You should at least see your room, Lynnie."

Lynnie trailed up the stairs after her mother. A small part of her brain was telling her at least to pretend to be happy. Mrs. Maple looked genuinely excited, after all, and the house wasn't totally hideous.

That was a _very_ small thought, however.

"All right, here's your room, dear!" Mrs. Maple's voice snapped Lynnie out of her thoughts. "How do you like it?"

Lynnie stumbled into her new room. A new bed, desk, and dresser had all been set up, along with a red rug to match her bedspread. A digital clock glowed at her from the desk, the numbers flipping from 9:59 to 10:00.

"It's okay," Lynnie said slowly.

"Good," Mrs. Maple smiled, leading Lynnie back into the hallway. "Well, our bedroom and the bathroom are across the hall, and the spare's next to yours."

Lynnie peeked into each room, feeling relieved that at least the inside of the house wasn't so cookie-cutter. Her parents' room was a bit more rectangular than hers, and while the spare was the same size, it had more windows.

"By the way, dear," Lynnie heard her mother say as she entered the bathroom. "Dad's friends, the Birches, live next door."

"That's nice," Lynnie murmured, carefully inspecting the shower curtain (red-violet with white stripes) and not catching the hint.

"Don't you want to meet them?"

"Not really."

Lynnie moved on to the mirror, and her mother smiled wearily.

"They have a son about your age."

The girl's interest suddenly rose. She'd almost been expecting an elderly couple with a bunch of spoiled Skitties, but if they had a teenage son they couldn't be much older than her own parents.

"I'll go in a few minutes, then."

As Mrs. Maple left the bathroom, Lynnie finger-combed her hair and inspected her reflection. She was still wearing the previous day's sleeveless red shirt and black shorts since she hadn't been able to find her box of clothing, but at least her outfit wasn't _too_ wrinkly. For a moment, she considered doing something with her hair, but quickly changed her mind. There wasn't much she could do with her hair anyway, since she'd recently gotten it cut shorter in the back than the front.

"All right, Mom, I'm going!" Lynnie called, heading out of the bathroom and bounding down the stairs.

"It's the blue flowerbed to the left, dear," Mrs. Maple called back from the den, waving.

"Okay, I'll be back soon!"

As she exited the house, Lynnie found it odd that her mother identified their neighbors by the flowers; did everyone in Littleroot do that? She shrugged it off and, spotting the blue flowerbed, hurried to knock on the door. Lynnie crossed her eyes when she heard what sounded like a pair of feet pounding up stairs, and a few seconds later, the doorknob turned. She noticed that the door didn't creak like hers did, and she blinked when a slender auburn-haired woman appeared in the doorway.

"Um, hi," Lynnie started. "I just moved in next door, and…"

The woman smiled. "Oh, you must be Norman and Melanie's daughter! I'm Lily Birch. Please come in."

Lynnie let Mrs. Birch lead her inside. Feeling a sense of déjà vu as she was immediately taken into the kitchen, she wondered if all the houses here had the same floor plan, too. However, as she looked around, Lynnie felt more like she was being shown a cleaning ad than an actual house; the kitchen looked a bit _too_ clean. The next thing she noticed was a small red-haired boy clinging to his mother's waist, and figured he'd been the one to run upstairs earlier.

_By "about my age," I thought Mom meant at least ten…_ Lynnie thought, disappointed.

"Well…" she forced slightly. "What's… your son's name?"

"This is Brian," Mrs. Birch smiled again, "and our older son is Brendan."

Lynnie felt relieved at this revelation, but before she could say anything else, Brian interjected.

"Hey, do you have your own Pokémon yet?"

Lynnie twitched at the "yet," but simply shook her head in response.

"Oh, by the way," Mrs. Birch said suddenly, as if she'd just remembered something. "I think Brendan's upstairs in his room—it's the first door on the right—so maybe he could show you his Pokémon."

"Cool, thanks…"

Lynnie headed upstairs, not realizing how tightly she was holding the banister until she noticed her knuckles turning white. She loosened up slightly and grinned, knowing that she might get the chance to see a Pokémon even before Crys did.

Arriving upstairs, Lynnie noticed that the first door on the right was already open, and it looked empty. Deciding that no harm could be done by just going on in anyway, she saw that the room wasn't as spotlessly clean as the rest of the house. The navy blue sheets of the bed were crumpled around its footboard, a few books were scattered on the floor, and a single Pokéball lay on the aqua rug in the middle of the room.

_I wonder if he'd care if I saw what was in it_, Lynnie thought as she approached the Pokéball. When she knelt down to touch it, she noticed a small leaf pattern had been carved above the release button.

"Hey, you! What are you doing?"

_Okay, I guess he would_.

Lynnie winced as she whirled around, dropping the Pokéball rather ungracefully. A boy was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and his red eyes narrowed accusingly. Lynnie blinked; unlike Theo Turner, who always _tried_ to look tough, this guy actually _did_ look tough. His red-and-black T-shirt was unbuttoned near the collar, his black shorts sagged over tighter black pants, and a few loose strands of his dark hair poked defiantly out of his white hat and green bandanna.

"Well, your mom said I could come up here and all, so…" Lynnie replied, trying to sound dismissive.

"Oh, right. I guess you must be…" Brendan stepped further into his room. "…our new neighbor, right? I bet Mom introduced me already."

"Yeah. Brendan," Lynnie stated. "I'm Lynnie."

"Huh," Brendan said slowly. "Dad never told me your name—just that you were the new Gym Leader's kid. I sort of assumed you'd be a guy, but obviously you're not."

Lynnie stifled a very strong urge to respond with an equally assuming remark and instead said, "Yeah, well… _your dad_ gave you that Pokémon, right?"

"Yes, he… Oh, that reminds me. Yesterday I heard Norman tell my dad that you don't have one. A Pokémon, I mean. So I was thinking that I could help you catch one as a moving-in gift or something like that."

"Professor Birch would let you do that?"

"Oh!" Brendan suddenly shook his head. "Well, I mean, he would, but I already promised him I'd so some fieldwork today, so I'll be busy. Which reminds me, I came up here to look for my bag…"

He got down on his knees and peered under his bed. Lynnie crossed her eyes and sighed, feeling that the conversation had ended rather abruptly. She _hated_ abrupt conversations.

"Then… Bye, Brendan," Lynnie mumbled, stepping towards the door.

"Later, Lynnie," Brendan responded, his voice slightly muffled.

Somewhat slowly, Lynnie walked back down the stairs. _Weird_, she sulked. _I haven't even known the guy for fifteen minutes, and he already ditched me. Oh well…_

"Oh, Lynnie," Mrs. Birch called as the girl reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'm sorry. Brendan was busy, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. It's okay…" Lynnie trailed off.

"I forgot that he was going to help my husband today," Mrs. Birch explained. "Brendan's usually inside reading or working at the lab. His father can never sit still though—he's so absorbed in his fieldwork that he's not home very much."

"That's kind of like my dad," Lynnie muttered.

Mrs. Birch smiled vaguely. "Yes, I suppose so… By the way, my husband said he'd try to stay close to town, so you may get to meet him when he's on his way back."

"I guess that would be cool… See you later, Mrs. Birch…"

Lynnie started towards the door.

"Bye, Lynnie! Please say hi to your mother for me; she's probably quite busy unpacking!" Mrs. Birch waved cheerily.

Brian popped out from under the table. "Bye, Lynnie!"

Lynnie waved as she left. Not really feeling like going back to the house yet, she boredly wandered around the neighborhood. It turned out to be even smaller than she'd thought—two or three rows of brown box-houses later, a small dirt trail started winding through some trees, signaling the edge of town. Lynnie couldn't help wondering if the next city over was any larger than Littleroot.

A low growl interrupted her thoughts. Lynnie curiously walked a few feet down the trail, and quickly saw a small brown raccoon clawing at a tree and looking impatiently towards the middle branches.

"Zigza…" it growled again, propping itself up on the tree trunk with its two front legs.

"Er…"

Lynnie crossed her eyes and took a few more steps forward. A tan bag near the tree caught her attention for a moment, and she wondered whether or not she could look in it before she found out who it belonged to. The raccoon paused, looked at Lynnie looking at the back, and then resumed growling at the tree. Following its gaze, Lynnie saw—

"Oh! You—in my bag—in the large front pocket—please, get a Pokéball!"

—a bearded man with dark brown hair, wearing a lab coat and desperately clinging to a branch. Lynnie decided not even to wonder why he was up there in the first place. Instead, she did as was requested and reached into the back.

After spotting a pair of Pokéballs, she called back, "Does it matter which one?"

"Not at all!" he replied quickly.

"All right…" Lynnie looked down at the Pokéballs, noticing a flame marking on one and a water droplet on the other, and muttered, "I'll just take the prettier one, then."

She grabbed the one with the water symbol. Pressing the release button revealed…

"Mud… kip!"

A blue-and-white fish-like Pokémon popped out of the Pokéball, looking around curiously. The Pokémon at the tree turned around to look at Mudkip, and Lynnie swore it was smirking.

"Zigza…" It rolled its eyes. "…goon."

"Hey!" Lynnie put her hands on her hips. "Don't let it make fun of you, Mudkip! Use…"

Lynnie briefly looked at the two Pokémon. Zigzagoon looked like a Normal-type, and Mudkip was definitely a Water-type. She grinned.

"Use Water Gun!"

Mudkip obediently blasted water at Zigzagoon. Shaking itself off afterwards, Zigzagoon's fur stuck out slightly as it charged towards Mudkip for a Tackle. Lynnie noticed momentarily that Zigzagoon was running slightly towards Mudkip's right.

"Dodge to the left and use Water Gun again!"

Mudkip jumped just in time and shot water at Zigzagoon again as it passed, sending it skidding. Dripping, Zigzagoon looked at Mudkip, seemed to sigh, and trotted away impatiently.

"Well, then… Mudkip, return!"

Lynnie put the Pokéball back in the bag and looked back at the tree. The man started to climb down, but slipped on one of the lower branches and landed on his side.

"Um…" Lynnie reached down to help him up.

"Oh, thanks… That was close, wasn't it…" He took her hand and stood up, smiling sheepishly. "I was just doing some fieldwork and that Zigzagoon startled me. But…" He looked at her carefully. "…I didn't get your name?"

"It's Lynnie."

"Isn't that… Are you Norman's daughter?"

"Yeah—wait, you're Professor Birch?"

He nodded, and turned back towards the path. "This isn't the best place to talk, though… Have you seen where my lab is yet?"

"No," Lynnie shook her head. "But I saw your house a few minutes ago."

"All right then," the professor winked. "I'll show you."

Professor Birch slung his bag over his shoulder, and Lynnie followed in an unusual silence. _He seems a lot different than Brendan_, she noted.

"Oh, Lynnie, your father told me you don't own a Pokémon yet."

Lynnie blinked, the Professor's comment bringing her attention back. Paying attention was not one of her strong points.

"No… I went to a Pokémon Academy, though."

_And now would not be a good time to mention having to get tutored to even average a 65 on the written tests_, her brain nagged. She resisted rolling her eyes.

By now, they'd arrived at the lab, and Lynnie wondered how she hadn't seen it earlier. Instead of the small, brown boxes that made up the rest of the town, the lab was a large gray building with a jade roof.

"Well," Professor Birch replied, opening the door. "I guess all that studying is what helped you make that Zigzagoon run off, right?"

He grinned as he took Lynnie inside. As she looked around, she noticed that the walls were literally lined with shelves, all of which were loaded with thick books (_I bet they all have tiny print, too,_ Lynnie sulked silently). There were a few odd machines and a computer near the back, and a few doors lay off to the right.

Suddenly, Lynnie shook her head; she realized the professor was still waiting for an answer.

"Nah, that was pretty easy. I've had harder test battles…"

"You know, you sound kind of like Norman," Professor Birch mused, smiling slightly. "Hm… Since I owe you anyway, how about Mudkip is yours? You'll finally have your own Pokémon."

Startled, Lynnie's mouth (as usual) went on autopilot. "How—what do you—I mean, why?"

"You did help me out of the tree and all," he pointed out. "Now, here."

The professor quickly handed her Mudkip's Pokéball. Lynnie stared at the Pokéball, then Professor Birch, and then back and forth for a few minutes until she realized he was giving her an amused look.

"All right, fine," she hastily responded.

He grinned again. "Good. Now go on home and get some lunch. It's after eleven already."

Lynnie waved, and was practically skipping on her way out. She couldn't wait to see the look on Crys's face when she would see Mudkip.


	3. Chapter Two: Vs Mudkip!

_Author's Note_: Uh… Break in the game plot, nya.

**Chapter Two: Vs Mudkip!**

"Oh, Lynnie, we're having dinner with the Birches tonight."

Lynnie had been sitting cross-legged on her bed when her mother came into her room. She quickly hid Mudkip's Pokéball under her pillow, deciding to show her Pokémon to Crys before anyone else.

"That's nice," Lynnie replied, adjusting her legs so that her knees were bent in front of her.

Mrs. Maple sat down on her daughter's bed. "So, how did you like the Birches?"

"They…" Lynnie paused, partly because she was thinking, but mostly for effect. "They were pretty cool."

"I thought you'd like them," Mrs. Maple smiled. "By the way, your father's taking off early from the gym to come eat with us!"

"He's allowed to do that?" Lynnie quipped, surprised that her father actually _wanted_ to leave the gym early.

"We-ell…" Mrs. Maple's smile shrank as she looked across the room. "We're eating dinner a bit late tonight, around seven, so in order to get here in time he'd only have to close up about half an hour before he's supposed to."

_I knew there'd be a catch_, Lynnie sighed to herself and crossed her arms over her knees.

"I know, dear," Mrs. Maple said, putting an arm around Lynnie's shoulder. "Now, what would you like for lunch?"

* * *

After lunch, Lynnie rifled through the few boxes remaining in the living room. She eventually found the videophone and quickly carried it up into her room. Setting it down on her bed, she dialed Crys's number and pulled Mudkip's Pokéball out from under her pillow. The screen blinked a few times before Crys answered.

"Hey, Crys," Lynnie greeted.

"Hi, Lynnie! You're already moved in?" Crys cried.

"Yeah…" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "Dad had us sell all of our furniture and he bought a bunch of new stuff, so we didn't have much packing to do. Plus, the moving company helped. This morning when we were unloading, the guy who drove the truck had his Pokémon do it."

"Wow," Crys commented, twirling one of her ponytails. "Well, how do you like it so far?"

"Um… The house is nice, I guess, but it's sort of small," Lynnie started. "But Dad has some friends out here. The Birches live right next door."

"And?"

"_And_, what?"

"What are they like?"

"Oh. Well, there are two kids, Brian and Brendan. Brian's, like, eight or something, and Brendan's our age. Mom said on the train ride up here that Mrs. Birch is a teacher, and her husband _just so happens_ to be the local professor."

Crys's face lit up. "Really? Have you gotten to visit the lab yet?"

"Yes, actually. It's a bit smaller than Professor Elm's, but I think Professor Birch does more fieldwork." (Lynnie had only been to Professor Elm's lab once, and that had been with Crys.) "And guess what happened."

"Um…" Crys drew a blank.

"You have _no_ imagination, Crys," Lynnie rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the professor gave me this as a moving-in gift!"

Lynnie pressed the release button on Mudkip's Pokéball. Mudkip appeared on Lynnie's bed, looking around curiously and asking, "Mud?"

Blinking, Crys exclaimed, "That is so cool! So you're a trainer now, too?"

"Eh… Not really. Professor Birch kinda just gave me Mudkip since I don't have any other Pokémon, and—"

"Kinda?" Crys repeated dubiously.

"Yeah, I know, bad grammar," Lynnie sighed, knowing that Crys was actually referring to the other part of "kinda." But explaining the Zigzagoon thing? "But anyway, I don't have a Pokédex, either."

"Uh huh," the older girl nodded. "Well, have you decided if you want to nickname her yet?"

"No, not y—hey, how'd you know Mudkip's a girl, anyway?"

Crys pointed at Mudkip's face, which was currently cocked to the side slightly. "Her gills are a bit smaller than a male's."

"Geez, Crys," Lynnie mumbled. "I should tell Earl to give you his library for your next birthday."

"Why? I've already read most of the books in there," Crys reminded her. "But Mudkip looks comfortable, doesn't she?"

Mudkip had gently circled a part of Lynnie's pillow and experimentally lowered herself onto it. "Kip?" she asked, prompting a giggle from the two girls.

"I know," Lynnie said suddenly. "How about Skipper?"

"Very imaginative, Lynnie," Crys grinned. "Try it."

"Well, it fits," Lynnie shrugged. "What do you think, Mudkip?"

"Mud!" she answered, nodding.

"See, she agrees with me," Lynnie replied defensively. "But hey, I should put up the videophone before Mom thinks she lost it already. Call you later?"

"Okay. Bye, Lynnie!"

Lynnie pressed the "end" button, and Crys's face faded off of the screen. Withdrawing Skipper, she stuck her Pokéball back under her pillow, and stretched out across her bed on her stomach. Drowsily, she thought, _This bed is actually comfy…_

* * *

"Lynnie, dear! It's almost time to go to the Birches'!"

Mrs. Maple's voice floated into Lynnie's bedroom. Lynnie jolted and looked at her clock. The glowing numbers of 6:45 informed her that she'd obviously fallen asleep.

"Uh, yeah, I was just getting ready, Mom!" Lynnie lied back.

She rolled over and flopped off of her bed, somehow having curled up near the footboard, and straightened her covers. Sighing as she realized she didn't have time to change, Lynnie flattened a few of the wrinkles in her shirt and dashed across the hall into the bathroom. Making sure her bandanna was straight, she pulled a brush through her visible hair and hurried down the stairs.

Lynnie arrived at the landing to see her mother waiting for her. Mrs. Maple brushed a piece of her brown hair over her shoulder and smiled as Lynnie entered the kitchen.

"Is Dad meeting us there?" Lynnie asked, just as she realized the answer.

Mrs. Maple nodded. "He called earlier and said her was on his way here, so he should get there by the time we're ready to eat."

"All right," Lynnie sighed.

Mrs. Maple briefly hugged Lynnie before leading her outside and locking the door. They silently reached the Birches' blue flowerbed a few minutes later. Before either of them had the chance to knock, Brian could be heard just behind the door, shrieking, "Mommy, they're here!"

Almost instantly, Mrs. Birch opened the door and ushered her visitors inside. The table had been set for seven (it looked a bit cramped), complete with checkered place mats and full sets of silverware.

"Dinner's basically ready—Brian, please go get your brother—so sit down while we wait," Mrs. Birch smiled.

Lynnie and her mother sat obligingly as Brian pounded upstairs. Soon, he was practically dragging Brendan into the kitchen, walking backwards and somehow not tripping. Brendan flashed a grin as Brian shoved him into the seat across from Lynnie, and Mrs. Birch seated herself between Brian and Mrs. Maple.

The front door then opened, and Professor Birch was heard saying, "Well, that turned out to be good timing. It looks like they're just about to start."

Following him was a reply of, "I would have been earlier, but my trolley was late… I suppose I could have walked, but it's starting to get dark."

"Oh, relax, Norman. This is why we invited you over."

The two men stepped into the kitchen. Professor Birch was still wearing his lab coat, and Norman was straightening all of the non-existent wrinkles in his red jacket.

"Ah, sorry," Professor Birch apologized. "I was out late with my fieldwork, but I guess it worked out." He grinned and nudged Norman teasingly. "I got to see what took Norman so long."

"Don't mention it," Norman groaned as he and the professor took their seats between Lynnie and Brendan.

"Well, at least we're all here," Mrs. Birch interjected reassuringly. "So let's dish up and eat!"

Lynnie followed Brian and Brendan over to the Birches' serving bar. As she cast a look over her shoulder at her father, who was lowly talking to Professor Birch, the professor's earlier words came back to her: _"You know, you kind of sound like Norman."_

Lynnie frowned. Really? How so? She hadn't really thought about it before. Had she just not noticed, or had Norman not been around enough for her to notice in the first place?

Professor Birch then noticed her looking at them, and grinned as he pulled Norman out his seat—the Gym Leader looked reluctant to get up. The two were closely followed by their wives. Mrs. Maple and Mrs. Birch were looking rather expectantly at Lynnie and Brendan. Just when Lynnie was wondering why, Brendan tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Lynnie, you're about to stick your elbow in the spaghetti sauce."

Lynnie yelped and tried not to drop her plateful of spaghetti as Brendan turned back around to grab a roll. Her heartbeat slowed back down as she took some of the aforementioned sauce and returned to her seat.

After everyone had been reseated, the seven nearly attacked their food. The clicking of forks was the only sound for a few moments. Lynnie twirled a much-too-large amount of spaghetti around her fork, wondering if it was _really_ a good idea to break the silence by asking why her father had to apply for the Gym Leader position. Not talking was starting to bother her, but Brendan quickly filled in for her.

"So, Dad," he said, swallowing a bite of his roll. "When's that spare Pokédex you ordered coming in?"

"It should be in by tomorrow morning," he replied, giving a brief look to Lynnie.

"Mph?" Lynnie choked, forkful of spaghetti in her mouth; her father had given her an odd look…

Mrs. Maple and Mrs. Birch, however, didn't seem to have noticed. Instead, they shared knowing grins and looked delighted.

"So, you were going to show Brendan's to Lynnie?" Mrs. Birch asked.

"Yeah, Mom! That's a great idea!" Brendan replied smugly. "I've got a lot recorded in it, so I could show her a thing or two about Hoenn's Pokémon—"

The conversation quickly began buzzing about Pokémon. Relieved for the cover up, Lynnie soon found herself debating with Brendan over whether Johto or Hoenn had the better set of basic starting Pokémon…

* * *

"Bye, everyone!"

Lynnie and her parents waved to the Birches as they left their house. She was just glad that the professor hadn't mentioned Skipper—the starter debate, which had ended in a draw, had been pushing it a bit, after all. Plus, every time Brendan had mentioned one of his own Pokémon, Professor Birch had winked at her.

"Hey Dad," she said suddenly. "You are staying at home tonight, right?"

"Well… I suppose, but I'd have to leave early," he answered hesitantly. "…Very early," came a few moments later as an afterthought.

Realizing that was the best answer she could've gotten out of him, Lynnie proceeded to grin mischievously and grab his hand.

"Race you back, Mom!" she yelled, dragging her stunned father behind her.

"Ah, Lynnie, wait up!" Mrs. Maple shouted, dashing after her daughter.

Lynnie giggled and picked up her pace.


	4. Chapter Three: Vs Treecko!

_Author's Note_: …Not much to say about this chapter except that it took me a ridiculously long amount of time to type. I blame my illegible handwriting.

**Chapter Three: Vs Treecko!**

Lynnie woke up the next morning with something hard under her head. Sitting up, she saw that Skipper's Pokéball had conveniently rolled out from under her pillow.

"Something tells me I should find a better place for that…" she yawned as she climbed out of bed.

Leaving her sheets messy, Lynnie staggered downstairs into the kitchen, nearly tripping over her too-large pajama pants. As she wondered if there was actually anything for breakfast, she noticed a note on the kitchen table. She sighed as she read it: _Hey, Lynnie. Dad left for the gym already and I'll be at the Birches'. I have leftovers from last night in the fridge if you get hungry. Luv, Mom._

"Go figure," Lynnie muttered, setting the note back on the table. "And spaghetti? For breakfast?"

Deciding she was too hungry to care after all, Lynnie searched a few cabinets for a plate. Taking some spaghetti and a roll from the fridge (no sauce, as she didn't want to eat vegetables that early in the morning), she heated up her odd breakfast in the microwave. After searching in a few more cabinets for a fork, Lynnie headed back upstairs to her room.

Sitting cross-legged on her bed, Lynnie set her plate down in front of her. She ate quickly, leaving a little spaghetti on her plate, and then grabbed Skipper's Pokéball.

"Kip!" she greeted upon being released.

"Hi, Skipper," Lynnie grinned. "Since we're the only ones home, I decided to share breakfast."

Skipper curiously looked at Lynnie's plate and slowly tried the spaghetti. After a few seconds she'd practically inhaled the food, and was eagerly trying to get the last of it.

Lynnie giggled. "I wonder if table food's even good for you."

"Mud!" Skipper responded, half-nodding as she dove under Lynnie's sheets.

Rolling her eyes a bit, Lynnie decided to let Skipper stay on her bed as she went to get dressed. She pulled some clothes out of her dresser, hastily brushing her teeth while changing. As she pulled her brush through her hair, Lynnie glanced at her reflection—she'd put on a blue, one-sleeved shirt, blue-and-black capris, and blue tights, and her eyes were still a bit blurry from just waking up—and then went back into her room to look for her bandanna.

"Mud?"

Just as Lynnie was starting to get frustrated, Skipper squirmed out from under the blankets with the bandanna dangling from her mouth like a toy. Lynnie then noticed that Skipper's Pokéball had mysteriously ended up under her dresser.

"Okay, give it back!"

Lynnie grinned as she dove for Skipper. She jumped out of Lynnie's reach, playfully waving the bandanna, and darted out of the room. Chasing Skipper downstairs, Lynnie caught her in the kitchen and pried away her bandanna.

"Gotcha," Lynnie teased, and Skipper sighed.

Just as she finished tying her bandanna, the front door swung open, prompting Skipper to jump out of Lynnie's arms. Lynnie blinked as sunlight poured into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Lynnie!" Mrs. Maple sang as she closed the door behind her. "Professor Birch was just telling me all about your new Pokémon, so I wanted to meet it!"

"Um, yeah, about that," Lynnie said sheepishly. She kneeled down to pick Skipper back up and set her on the table. "This is Skipper."

"Mudkip?" She asked, smiling curiously.

"I didn't tell you last night because I wanted to surprise Dad," Lynnie explained.

"I see…" Mrs. Maple replied knowingly. "Well, the professor told me that Brendan's out doing some fieldwork near Oldale Town. It only takes about half an hour to walk there, so we thought you could… go see what he's up to."

Lynnie groaned. "Okay… Hey, Skipper, come on, I gotta go get your Pokéball…"

* * *

Lynnie sighed as she entered Oldale Town. It was almost the same size as Littleroot, and almost as boring building-wise. However, at least there was a Pokémon Center near the town's entrance and a Pokémart in the distance.

"Hey! Lynnie!"

Stifling a yell, Lynnie jumped as she saw Brendan emerging from the Pokémon Center. He jogged up to her, waving.

"What're you doing out here? Dad sent me up here to do some fieldwork, and I'm just heading back to show him my Pokédex," Brendan explained.

"Actually…" Lynnie shrugged. "I'm supposed to be 'seeing what you're up to,' or something like that."

"Right," Brendan raised a dark eyebrow, and then noticed Lynnie's Pokéball. "Oh, hey, Dad told me he'd given you that. Since we're both here, want to have a battle? It'll be decent practice."

"Sure. Don't go easy on me, though," Lynnie warned. "Go, Skipper!"

"All right," Brendan grinned. "Go Treecko!"

Skipper placidly stood next to Lynnie as Brendan released his Pokémon. A green lizard-like Pokémon appeared beside him, folding its arms across its red chest.

Lynnie crossed her eyes. She knew that Treecko was a grass-type, but… It seemed like she'd been getting a lot of disadvantages against grass-types lately, what with Skiploom and all.

After a moment, she decided, "Skipper, use Tackle!"

Skipper quickly leapt forward, crashing into Treecko. It recoiled slightly, but impatiently kept its stance.

"Treecko, use Absorb while Mudkip's still close!" Brendan responded.

Treecko closed its eyes in concentration. Both Pokémon began to glow green. Skipper bent her knees slightly, panting.

"Break out of it with Mud Slap, Skipper!" Lynnie countered.

Staggering slightly, Skipper kicked mud towards Treecko, knocking it off balance. It cried out in surprise as it fell backwards.

"Tackle one more time!"

Skipper obediently crashed into Treecko. This time, it didn't get back up, and Skipper sighed.

"Hey…" Brendan commented as they both withdrew their Pokémon. "That was a surprise. You're not too shabby, Lynnie."

_A surprise?_ Lynnie inwardly grumbled. _Was that supposed to be a compliment or not?_

Out loud, she said, "Uh, thanks."

"Ha. I guess I'll be getting back to my dad's lab, then. You should, too, you know."

Brendan proceeded to put Treecko's Pokéball back into his backpack and jog back towards Littleroot. Lynnie groaned audibly.

"I just came from there," she protested as she turned back. "And how does he _run_ back and forth…"

* * *

The door to the professor's lab was already open, so Lynnie let herself in. Professor Birch and Brendan were in the back, and the professor was nodding as Brendan handed him his Pokédex. The two looked up as Lynnie entered.

"Oh, hi, Lynnie!" Professor Birch called. "Brendan just got back too, and he told me you beat him on your first try. Very impressive."

"Well, it's not like I don't have practice," Lynnie grinned as Brendan rolled his eyes.

The professor smiled slightly. "Well, he has been helping me out for quite a while already… Anyway, Lynnie…" He reached into one of the many pockets in his lab coat and pulled out a compact red machine. "This is the spare Pokédex I ordered. Since you already have Mudkip, I just have to register your name in here, and then you'll be an official trainer."

Lynnie blinked a few times as Professor Birch pressed a few buttons on the device, realizing that he was serious. He handed her the Pokédex with Brendan looking over his shoulder.

"Well," Brendan reached into his backpack while Lynnie looked at all the buttons on her new Pokédex. "Since Dad gave you that, I guess I'll give you something, too."

"Huh?"

Lynnie looked up and closed her Pokédex as Brendan shoved five minimized Pokéballs into her hand. He laughed when she gave him a confused look.

"You know you shouldn't just let your Pokédex sit there and look cool. Besides, Mudkip can't win all your battles for you!"

"Point taken," Lynnie muttered.

"Easier said than done, of course," Professor Birch interjected wearily. "Lynnie, you better get on home before your mother starts to worry."

Lynnie grinned. "Okay! Thanks, Professor… and Brendan."

Brendan sighed as Lynnie dashed out the door.


	5. Chapter Four: Vs Vigoroth!

_Author's Note_: Just for reference, the reporter is Gabby and the Pokémon Journal is like the ones in Fire Red & Leaf Green (so I don't own FRLG either). This chapter's a bit on the short side, but the next one will take me a bit longer to type up.

**Chapter Four: Vs Vigoroth!**

Lynnie leaned against the front door as she closed it behind her. She heard a click from the living room and then a bit of static, and a voice then floated from the television: "—new Gym Leader Norman has been—"

"Oh, Lynnie!" Mrs. Maple said excitedly, sticking her head into the kitchen. "Come in here! It's a report about Petalburg Gym!"

Lynnie trotted into the living room, now noticing that a maroon rug and curtains had been set up. She then glanced over at the television. Her father, standing next to his Vigoroth, was speaking to a female reporter with short blue hair. Lynnie found it weird that the interview was outside the gym—a large tan building surrounded by low hedges—rather than inside it.

The reporter turned to face the camera, flashed a dazzling white smile, and said, "We have brought you this report from Petalburg Gym. Next week, we'll visit Gym Leader Winona in Fortree City…"

She waved, and Norman and Vigoroth bowed slightly. Then a commercial flashed across the screen, displaying _Devon Corporation's New Product: The PokéNav_!

Sighing, Mrs. Maple clicked off the power button. "That's too bad; I should've turned it on sooner… Oh well. What did the Birches have to say?"

"We-ell…" Lynnie reached into her back pocket. "It's a surprise. Close your eyes."

Mrs. Maple raised an eyebrow, but did as was instructed. Lynnie took out her Pokédex and put it in her mother's hand.

"Professor Birch gave me that!" Lynnie announced as her mother opened her eyes.

Mrs. Maple flipped open Lynnie's Pokédex with her eyes open in surprise. "Isn't this what Brendan has? Doesn't it mean you're a trainer now?"

"Yeah," Lynnie grinned.

"Your father will be excited about this…" Mrs. Maple began to get a distant look in her eyes. "And you _do_ look nice with Skipper…"

"Mom…" Lynnie groaned. "It'll be all right."

"Oh!"

Mrs. Maple's eyes widened slightly as she handed back Lynnie's Pokédex. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie headed upstairs.

"I'll be right back, Mom."

Lynnie entered her bedroom and fished around under her bed, eventually finding her school bag in a box marked "office supplies." She slipped in her Pokédex and a few necessities, and slung it over her shoulder. Clipping her Pokéballs onto her belt, she started to head out of her room, but then paused and went back to her dresser. She pulled out one of the elbow-length blue gloves Crys had given her as a gag gift the previous year, slipped it over her bare right arm, and headed down the stairs again.

"Lynnie…"

When Lynnie arrived downstairs, Mrs. Maple was leaning against the door between the living room and the kitchen. Her head was down, and her eyes were misting up.

_Oh boy,_ Lynnie thought.

"Lynnie, please be careful You know you can come home or go to your father if something happens—"

"I _will_, and I know, Mom."

"Your father really will be proud of you—"

"I know…"

"Just don't get lost or anything—"

"Mom!" Lynnie twitched. "I'll be okay! Really!"

Mrs. Maple looked startled. "Well… Be sure to call me every once in a while, then, okay?"

"I will, Mom."

Lynnie hugged her mother before heading outside. A smile formed on her face; it would be fun to surprise her father later…

* * *

Lynnie sighed, once again trudging through the tall grass of Route 101. No wonder the professor hadn't seen the Zigzagoon the other day; the grass was knee-high, not to mention pretty thick.

Finally, she reached the familiar manicured path of Oldale Town. Thirsty, she headed into the Pokémon Center, hoping to find a vending machine. There was one in the back near a shelf, and Lynnie inserted a few coins for a bottle of water.

A few moments later, a girl with navy blue hair returned a copy of a magazine titled Pokémon Journal to the shelf. Lynnie craned her neck to look more closely at the cover, and promptly crossed her eyes. A photo of Norman was in the lower-left corner, bearing the caption _Special Feature: Petalburg Gym Leader Norman_!

The girl caught Lynnie looking at the magazine as he turned around, and grinned. "Hey, this issue's pretty good. It just came out today, and it's got that interview in it. Have you read it yet?"

"Well…" Lynnie laughed. Talk about irony. "No. I'm pretty sure I know all of that stuff anyway…"

"So you caught the actual interview?" The girl asked excitedly, fiddling with the zipper on her denim vest. "I like Norman too—my mom recorded the interview for me! I thought it was interesting that he came all the way from Johto."

"Yeah, interesting," Lynnie repeated dryly, but the other girl didn't seem to notice her tone. "In fact, I heard it was Violet City."

"Real-ly? Says who?" the girl cried, waving her arms.

"Um, miss, your Pokémon are healed now…"

"Oh, uh, thanks," she said sheepishly as an attendant handed her three Pokéballs. "Okay, well, see you later!"

With that, she left the building. Lynnie groaned, suddenly not interested in her water anymore, and threw away her half-full bottle as she exited as well. She crossed her eyes as she leaned against the side of the building. Just great, her father had obsessive fans already. Not to mention all the challengers he'd be getting…

Lynnie sighed, crossed her arms, and walked past the Pokémon Center. Wouldn't _she_ be challenging him eventually? Sure, she knew that he had a Vigoroth, Spinda, and Slaking, but since he'd never been much for training at home, she'd never actually seen him battle. Plus, he could've caught a new Pokémon in the time it had taken her and her mother to move in.

Lynnie hesitated when she reached the west end of town. From her mother's excited chatter on the train, she knew that Petalburg was west from Oldale. She'd also learned that Rustboro City was north of Petalburg, and a lot of trainers got their first badge in Rustboro.

And, after debating with herself for a minute, Lynnie sighed again and began heading to Petalburg.


	6. Chapter Five: Vs Seedot!

_Author's Note:_ Heh. Lately, my chapters have been getting shorter, but this one makes up for it. I would've stuck the last chapter onto this one, but… then it would be a bit _too_ long.

**Chapter Five: Vs Seedot!**

Irritated was perhaps an accurate adjective for Lynnie's current state of mind.

Why irritated? It was because Route 102 had more of that oh-so-inconvenient tall grass. And it was getting stuck in her shoelaces.

But of course it was either that or walk around in her tights, which would not have been much better. Although Lynnie grudgingly admitted that it was indeed her fault for forgetting to bring along extra socks.

Then, as Lynnie untangled herself from the grass, it just got better. Something fell off a tree branch right above her, bouncing off of her head with a thud. Instinctively, she threw out her arms, and blinked when she was staring at a rather oversized acorn. It did fit quite well in her arms, but…

"Seed," it said mildly.

…Well, obviously it wasn't really an acorn. Grumbling, she reached for her Pokédex with one hand while still holding the Pokémon with the other. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to feel like moving much, but Lynnie shrugged as she pointed her Pokédex at it.

"Seedot, the Acorn Pokémon," it hummed in a high-pitched monotone. "It hangs off branches and absorbs nutrients. When it finishes eating, its body becomes so heavy that it drops to the ground with a thud."

"That explains it," Lynnie muttered. "But it didn't say anything about heads…"

"Seedot," it said sleepily, slipping from Lynnie's arm—and crashing onto her foot.

Lynnie yelped and crossed her eyes. Her hand accidentally brushed against one of her Pokéballs, and it fell off of her belt, landing next to the Seedot. It rolled over slowly, the stem on its head connecting with the release button. The Pokéball barely twitched before it shut all the way.

"Um…" Lynnie blinked and slowly picked up the Pokéball. "I think I caught it… Well, it is kinda cute…"

She then took out Skipper's Pokéball and released both Pokémon. The Mudkip looked curiously at the Seedot, who still looked somewhat sleepy.

"Hey, Skipper, this Seedot kinda caught itself, but I guess I got it," Lynnie said.

"Mudkip!" Skipper greeted cheerfully.

"Seed…" Seedot nodded.

Suddenly, there was a splash from behind them, and that was when Lynnie noticed a small pond. The source of the splash seemed to be a lily pad-like Pokémon who had just slipped off of a rock.

Lynnie stared at it for a moment, and then reached for another Pokéball. "That one's cute too! I want it!"

"Lo… tad!"

In protest, the Lotad hit Lynnie with a Water Gun. As Lynnie wrung out her hair, it quickly swam away.

"Something tells me I deserved that…" Lynnie grumbled.

Skipper and Seedot sighed simultaneously.

* * *

Petalburg was a relief and a surprise: it was much larger than Oldale and Littleroot, but the gym dominated the skyline. As Lynnie wandered around, she thought that it reminded her a little of Violet City. When she neared the gym, however, she felt a bit odd; it looked a lot bigger now than it had on the interview.

She didn't realize that she'd been standing there, staring, until the door opened. A tall boy with dark red hair and black clothing was walking out with a sour expression on his face—he'd obviously just lost. He then looked over at Lynnie.

"Hey, good luck," he warned. "Norman's pretty tough."

"Thanks?" Lynnie ventured.

He nodded to her and left. Heart pounding, she shoved open the door and entered.

The inside somehow didn't surprise her. At the moment, her father's back was to her, so she got a brief look at the white tiling and tan walls. She hadn't really expected anything fancy, but it was really a bit too plain, Lynnie mused as Norman started to turn around.

"Again—oh, Lynnie… Did your mother send you? She knew I'd be busy, didn't she? Why didn't she just call?"

"Dad…"

"And why is your hair wet?"

"Because…" Lynnie sighed. "Well, Mom _didn't_ send me up here. And, uh, you see, when I was catching Oakley, we saw this Lotad, and…"

"Who's Oakley?" Norman raised an eyebrow.

"My Seedot!" Lynnie responded defensively. Okay, so she _had_ just then thought of the nickname, but still…

"I see…" Norman muttered, folding his arms. "A trainer… I suspected this as soon as that boy mentioned his Pokédex at dinner the other night." He half-smiled. "Although, in all honesty, I look forward to seeing your progress—"

"Um, excuse me… Norman, s-sir…"

The two turned around. A short, green-haired boy had slipped through the door, and was still holding it open slightly.

"Oh, you're… Wally, right?" Norman's eyebrows frowned. "What is it?"

"Um, well," Wally stuttered. "My parents are transferring me to Verdanturf tomorrow, and… They thought I'd get lonely, so they wanted me to take a Pokémon along. B-but I, uh, don't know how to catch one…"

"Hm…" Norman sighed, and then nodded slowly. "All right, you heard him, Lynnie. I can't leave the gym unattended, so I need you to go with Wally."

"I…" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "Okay, I'll go."

"Fine. Here, Wally," Norman said, handing the boy a pair of Pokéballs. "A Pokémon and a Pokéball."

"R-really?" Wally's eyes widened. "And… Lynnie? Will you really come, too?"

"Yeah," Lynnie responded, forcing a smile.

Wally practically attached himself to Lynnie's arm as they left. She gave the gym a backward glance and sighed.

_I can't believe he got rid of me like that,_ Lynnie complained inwardly. _Oh well… I guess I'm doing the right thing…_

"Lynnie…"

Wally tugged at her sleeve and nervously looked out at the grassy route. Lynnie followed his gaze toward a somewhat detached patch of grass. Squinting, she wondered if he'd noticed the small, slightly off piece of green…

"Could you, um… just watch and see if I do this right?" Wally squeaked.

"Yeah, but, Wally—"

He'd already tiptoed up to the edges of the grass, fingers tightly clutching the borrowed Pokéball. The grass parted, and Wally shrieked in surprise, dropping the Pokéball to reveal…

"Zigza!"

A Zigzagoon stared boredly at the grass and rolled its eyes. Silence, then…

"Ra…"

A small white-and-green Pokémon with red horns trailed out of the grass. Looking down slightly, it obviously hadn't noticed the other Pokémon. The Zigzagoon smirked.

"Um… Now what do I do?" Wally whispered.

"Tell it to use Tackle," Lynnie replied, ignoring a weird feeling in her stomach.

"Tackle!" Wally cried.

Zigzagoon charged towards the right side of the Pokémon and crashed into it. With a startled cry of "Ralts!" it fell over, and Zigzagoon jumped back with an impatient growl.

"Should I throw the Pokéball now?" Wally asked uncertainly.

"Sure," Lynnie answered, trying to place why the Zigzagoon felt familiar.

Meanwhile, Wally enlarged the Pokéball and tossed it at the Ralts. It shook once… twice… and then clicked shut.

"I did it!" Wally cheered, picking up his Pokéball and flinging his arms around Lynnie.

"Er…" she replied awkwardly.

"Goon," Zigzagoon sighed, clearly annoyed. Lynnie caught its eye and suddenly realized—it was the same Zigzagoon that had attacked Professor Birch!

_But why?_ Lynnie mentally demanded. _Out of all the Zigzagoon out there, why did Dad have to catch THIS one?_

"Lynnie!"

Wally was tugging on Lynnie's sleeve again, breaking her out of her trance.

"Oh, yeah," she said, recalling Zigzagoon. "We have to go return it…"

Wally excitedly dragged her all the way back to the gym. Fortunately, and surprisingly, Norman wasn't right in the middle of a challenge.

"So, how did it go?" Norman questioned as Lynnie all-too-eagerly returned Zigzagoon.

Wally grinned. "It went fine, Norman, sir! I promise to take really good care of my Ralts, and—" He gasped suddenly. "Oh no! I left my mom waiting! Bye, Lynnie! Bye, Norman!"

Norman sighed heavily as Wally left. Then, her turned back to Lynnie, his face serious again.

"Now, Lynnie," he began. "About what we were discussing earlier. Your mother probably told you that most trainers get their firs badge in Rustboro, yes?"

Lynnie nodded, albeit a bit distractedly as she tried to figure out what he was getting at. "Yeah, but—"

"All right, then. Lynnie, I want you to measure your progress against the leader there," Norman continued. "And after that, I want you to be able to show me four gym badges, all right?"

"Um, okay," Lynnie responded. "But, Dad, I think you're forgetting something…"

Norman frowned. "No, Lynnie, I am not. You will be challenging me as well. However, if you did now, you wouldn't learn anything, and it would be of no difficulty to me."

"Oh," Lynnie said briefly, blinking down at her shoes. "Well, in that case…" She looked back up. "I won't disappoint you, Dad."

Norman put his hands on her shoulders. "I hope not. Now, don't make me wait too long—_earn _your way back to me."

Slowly, Lynnie wrapped her arms around her father's waist in a hug. She then slipped back, paused for a moment, and dashed away before he could say anything else—and the wet spot on the chest of his jacket wasn't from her nearly dry hair.


	7. Chapter Six: Vs Poochyena!

_Author's Note:_ Meh, this chapter's just a little longer than I wanted it to be. It kinda works out though because if I separated it where I was going to, it would have been too short.

**Chapter Six: Vs Poochyena!**

_This stinks. I'll show him._

Lynnie rubbed her eyes as she stood at the western edge of Petalburg. Sure, it would be a long time before she earned four badges, but… She still thought her father had gone just a tad overboard with the whole deal.

"Excuse me, miss. You're blocking the way…"

"What!"

Lynnie spun around, her bag hitting her side. A short brunette man wearing dark sunglasses and a blue Pokéball-print shirt was standing in front of her, impatiently folding his arms.

"Hm…" he droned, pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. "You wouldn't happen to be a Pokémon trainer, would you…"

Lynnie blinked as the man turned around, apparently musing silently—she was trying to decide whether or not to ask him what his point was. Before she could, however, he turned back around, seeming to look her over.

"Probably no," he concluded. "Your clothes seem a bit too… impractical. If you were, you'd have to be a rookie."

"Hey…"

"Well, I digress," the man breezed. "You see, I'm on a talent search, so to speak, but… I apologize for wasting your time."

"Hey!"

Lynnie crossed her eyes has he turned to leave, ignoring her once again. He didn't exactly look like a trainer himself, and _he_ had insulted _her_ clothing? She walked past the western exit of Petalburg, grumbling.

Lynnie sighed as she breathed in the salty air of Route 104. The ocean was visible to the south, with a large sandy shoreline that slowly merged into the grassy area she was standing on. She'd never actually seen the ocean before, as Violet City was landlocked. Additionally, Norman had always refused to let Crys take her on the long trolley ride to Olivine City, as he and her mother were always too busy to go along.

Frowning, Lynnie realized she didn't have time to dawdle—the sky was already starting to get dark, and her mother had warned her on the train that going through Petalburg Woods could take hours if she got lost. And, well, Lynnie had never really had a very good sense of direction...

* * *

"Okay, this is ridiculous."

Lynnie pushed a vine away from her face as she grumbled to herself. She was certain she'd just passed the same withered bush at least three times… Ducking under a tree branch, she straightened up, and shrieked out of surprise when she saw a large red caterpillar resting on her arm (she wasn't scared of bug Pokémon… _too_ much). She tried to brush it off, and with a cry of "Wurmple!" it crawled away.

Abruptly, the trees seemed to be getting closer together, and then she stumbled into a slight clearing. A few Zigzagoon darted away as Lynnie approached, and she sighed as she leaned against a tree. Even if she wasn't quite sure where she was, at least she was starting to get somewhere…

"Wurm…"

A Wurmple suddenly was dangling on a string near her head. Groaning, she swatted it away, and it quickly pulled itself up onto a branch.

"Not again," she groaned.

"Ah, are you all right, miss?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes. She was now staring at a man in a green business suit and holding a silver briefcase. He looked like he was going to a meeting or something—so what was he doing in a _forest_?

"Um, yeah," Lynnie responded.

"That happens a lot," he went on. "I've been looking around for a Shroomish, myself, and I've already come across more than enough Wurmple."

"What's a Shroomish?" Lynnie asked. "And why are you looking for one?"

"Well…" the man said sheepishly. "They're my favorite Pokémon. But I really should be heading back to Rustboro. I work at Devon, you see, and I've got a policy meeting today…"

_Today? But it was evening before? Just how long have I been in here?_ Lynnie wondered.

"Oh," she said aloud. "Well… Hey, what's that?"

She pointed to a small, green mushroom that was ambling towards a pile of leaves next to a nearby tree. It munched complacently on a few of the leaves and grinned.

"Oh, that's it!" the man cried. "Thanks, I—"

"I hope you were about to say you were going to hand over that briefcase."

A man in a pirate-like outfit suddenly dropped out of the aforementioned tree and surprisingly landed on his feet. Lynnie barely had time to wonder what the "A" on his bandanna stood for when he began to walk forward.

"Because I'm getting really impatient."

"Hey, why do you want it, anyway?" Lynnie cut in.

"What's in here wouldn't be of any value to you," the Devon researcher added.

"My boss wants me to snag some products from Devon, and that's reason enough," the other man shrugged. "And I'm supposed to punish anyone who gets in Team Aqua's way, even if it's some kid and her chaperone."

He took a lone Pokéball off of his belt and released a small black dog-like Pokémon. It snarled and bristled its tail. The Devon researcher backed up slowly.

"Please, you're a Pokémon trainer, too, aren't you?" he whispered.

"Uh huh," Lynnie grinned and pulled out Oakley's Pokéball. "Okay, Oakley, let's give you some practice!"

The Seedot appeared next to Lynnie's feet and mildly seemed to nod. The thief glared.

"I don't have time to play around with you," he snapped. "Poochyena, come on!"

"I'm not playing around," Lynnie shrugged. "Oakley, use Bullet Seed!"

Oakley launched a barrage of seed out of her stem, and, caught off guard, the Poochyena skidded back a few feet. The Shroomish, still eating, slowly looked over at the scene. Lynnie blinked, but didn't say anything. The thief took advantage of her pause and smirked.

"Poochyena, use Bite!"

The Poochyena growled as it jumped towards Oakley. Lynnie winced, expecting it to attack, but suddenly it crumpled, seemingly unable to move its legs.

"What was that?" the thief roared.

"Shroom…" The Shroomish mumbled around a leaf as it turned back around. Lynnie then realized what had happened—it had used Stun Spore.

"Hey, Oakley, use Bullet Seed again!" Lynnie called.

"Seed!" Oakley cried as she unleashed the attack again. The Poochyena howled as it collapsed.

"What?" The thief hissed as he withdrew the Pokémon. "I'll do it myself, then!"

"Mish…"

A few spores floated out of the Shroomish's head and landed on the man's arm. He scowled as his arm tensed up.

"I can't… move my arm!" he snarled. "What is this supposed to be, a joke? Two-on-one, and now… Grr! I'm pulling back to Rustboro!"

He dashed away, and Lynnie crossed her eyes in confusion. She withdrew Oakley, and then looked over at the Shroomish, who was still snacking on a few leaves.

"That thing's weird, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'm a bit more concerned about what that man said," frowned the Devon employee. "What could he want in Rustboro?"

"But didn't you say you wanted one?" Lynnie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, but… Now I _really_ need to be getting back. Here, I'll give you a Pokéball to catch it with instead as my thanks," he smiled. "You helped me out there."

"Um, okay," Lynnie said as he handed her a Pokéball and left as well. She sighed and looked back at the Shroomish. "That thing really is weird…"

It turned around and blinked at her, but didn't respond. Sighing, Lynnie tossed the Pokéball at it. It shook violently, but then clicked shut.

"But I'm not gonna complain about getting a new Pokémon," Lynnie grinned and clipped the Pokéball onto her belt.

* * *

"Ow, it's bright…"

Lynnie shielded her eyes with her hands as she finally reached the end of the maze-like forest trail. A cobblestone pathway with sparse trees lay in front of her, and it eventually yielded to a paved road in the distance.

She quickened her pace, eager to get a look at Rustboro. High iron gates separated civilization from forest, and a concrete road wound though the paved city—the only visible grass was in cracks in the sidewalks. And even compared to Petalburg, Rustboro was huge, the multiple skyscrapers making it look even bigger.

After a bit of searching, Lynnie managed to locate the Pokémon Center. She checked her Pokémon in with the nurse, and quickly followed the signs to the cafeteria. After stopping at the salad bar, she looked around for a place to sit with little success; the place was crowded.

"Hey, you!"

Lynnie looked up and saw a vaguely familiar boy waving at her. Recognizing him from Petalburg Gym, she crossed the room and sat down in the chair he offered her.

"I saw you in Petalburg, right?" he grinned.

Lynnie swallowed a piece of lettuce. "Yeah, you… challenged the gym leader?"

"That was actually my third time since Norman came," the boy admitted sheepishly. "I guess he was getting sick of trashing me—he told me to come back after I got some more experience. How'd you do?"

"I, uh…" Lynnie said brilliantly. "I didn't. Fight him, I mean."

"Right," he replied mildly, raising an eyebrow. "Well, my name's Johnny, by the way. You?"

"I'm Lynnie," she answered, accepting his handshake.

"Hey, I get it now!" Johnny grinned suddenly. "No wonder you looked so vacant—"

"I was not vacant!" Lynnie protested. "And what do you get?"

"Hello, you're his kid," Johnny explained, in a rather slow voice. "He brought it up on that interview the other day."

"Oh," Lynnie sighed. "Well, I didn't get to see it. I didn't think he'd even _mention_ his family…"

"Don't look so down about it," Johnny responded. "Did you check in for tonight, by the way?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes, thrown off guard by his two unrelated statements, and answered, "Yeah, I did when I checked in my Pokémon."

"Good." Johnny dragged her into a hug as he stood up. "See you tonight, then."

"Um…" Lynnie shook her head as he left. "Strange guy."

* * *

Lynnie clipped her Pokéballs back onto her belt and followed the directions to the common room. As she took one of the provided sleeping bags, she looked around, surprised that more people hadn't checked in. Especially considering how crowded the cafeteria had been…

_Not that that's a bad thing… _Lynnie thought, unrolling the red sleeping bag in a corner of the room. She began unzipping it when a pair of arms wound around her neck, and she was released when she shrieked suddenly.

"Aw, Lynnie, don't be like that."

Heart pounding, Lynnie turned around to look up at Johnny. He was frowning, but his eyes were smirking.

"Then don't grab my neck next time."

Johnny grinned as he unrolled a black sleeping bag next to Lynnie's. "Fine. Oh, I didn't show you my Pokémon before, did I?"

He took a pair of Pokéballs off of his belt and released a Clamperl and a Volbeat. Hesitantly, Lynnie reached for her own Pokéballs and released Skipper, Oakley, and Shroomish.

Her heart sank slightly when she saw the look on Johnny's face. His eyes clearly read, "A Gym Leader's kid has _these_ Pokémon?" However, his expression quickly changed when Lynnie's Pokémon approached his.

"Hey, what's Shroomish doing?" he questioned.

Lynnie blinked. Skipper and Oakley were talking to Volbeat, but Shroomish was busily circling Clamperl. In response, Clamperl closed its shell, but then opened back up quickly and gave a watery laugh.

"Well, Clamperl's just as weird as he is," Lynnie shrugged. "They're acting like Dominoes."

"Dominoes?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know, you knock one over and then all the others fall down too," Lynnie answered. "Shroomish does something weird, and so does Clamperl. I'll call him Domino."

"Your logic is confounding."

"I know."

A clock chimed suddenly, and one of the Pokémon Center's staff entered the room and announced, "Curfew time!" She clicked off the lights and left.

"Well, then," Johnny said, recalling his Pokémon. "Good night, Lynnie."

He hugged her again and slipped into his sleeping bag. Lynnie twitched slightly.

"Er… Good night," she responded, crawling into her own sleeping bag and leaving her Pokémon out.

Johnny rolled over onto his side and fell asleep almost instantly. Lynnie, however, stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She watched Skipper curl up at her feet, and Oakley and Domino lay together in the space between herself and the wall. Shaking her head, Lynnie tried to cast the look Johnny had given her Pokémon out of her head.

"Well, _Dad_ seemed impressed," she whispered.

With that, Lynnie fell asleep smiling.


	8. Chapter Seven: Vs Ivysaur!

_Author's Note:_ I was kind of hoping people would think Johnny was odd. And I was right. XD That aside, Roxanne's paper test comes from Pokémon Special. Copyrights to that aren't mine, either…

**Chapter Seven: Vs Ivysaur!**

Lynnie woke up to Skipper pouncing on her stomach. Sighing, she stretched and sat up, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. Skipper grinned, crawled off Lynnie, and proceeded to wake up Oakley and Domino.

Yawning, Lynnie looked to her left, only to see Johnny's rolled up sleeping bag. She crossed her eyes as she rolled up her own sleeping bag, wondering where the older boy had gone as she recalled her Pokémon.

"You know, if you keep crossing your eyes like that, they'll get stuck that way."

Lynnie jumped as Johnny suddenly appeared beside her, kneeling down to pick up his sleeping bag.

"And if _you_ keep popping up like that, you'll scare people!" she replied.

Johnny smirked as he stood up. "Don't worry about it, Lynnie dear. I've got people other than you to scare, too."

"What _are_ you talking about?" Lynnie raised an eyebrow. "You're not going all the way back to challenge my dad again, are you?"

"Of course not." Johnny rolled his eyes. "Didn't you know? There's a Contest Hall in Fallarbor Town just north of here. I don't really care about badges; gyms are just nice warm-ups for contests.

"Contests?" Lynnie repeated, blinking.

"Yeah. You should try them sometime, Lynnie dear," Johnny answered, winking.

With that, he turned his sleeping bag into one of the Pokémon Center's staff and left. Sighing, Lynnie turned in her sleeping bag and left as well, and headed to the cafeteria. She grabbed a biscuit and ate it on the way out, receiving a few glares for trailing crumbs.

Lynnie stared at all the skyscrapers outside as she looked around for the Gym. She realized that Rustboro was almost as big as Goldenrod City, but tragically, Rustboro lacked a Department Store.

When Lynnie passed the Pokémart, she tried envisioning it as Goldenrod's shopping center instead. She'd gotten to go to the Department Store with Crys a few times, since it wasn't all that far away. One time had been a shopping spree in celebration of a Bug-catching Contest they'd entered; Crys had won with a Scyther, and Lynnie had come in second with a Pinsir. She hadn't been allowed to keep the beetle, however, since she'd borrowed Crys's Ivysaur for the capture, and had ended up giving Pinsir to Crys.

Nearing the northern edge of the town, Lynnie finally noticed the gym. In contrast to Norman's, it was a long stone building with a flat roof. Lynnie shoved open the heavy door, and then blinked and rubbed her eyes.

Desks lined the room, and a blackboard hung on the back wall behind a podium. Students were spread in various locations around the room. Some of them were studying, but a large percentage of them weren't. A pair of blond girls giggled when a tall boy with light brown hair passed, one of them muttering "Ask him, Rosa!" A bespectacled boy glared at them and resumed studying. Another group in the back of the room was watching a girl balance textbooks on her head.

Lynnie crossed her eyes. This reminded her so much of Earl's Pokémon Academy that she half-expected Crys to come up to her and remind her to study for next week's test.

However, she quickly disregarded that thought when something more important came to mind. Was she even in the right place, or had she misread the sign outside? Why would the gym even be in a school building, anyway?

Lynnie slowly took a few steps backwards, wondering if anyone had even seen her come in—and backed into something warm. Something _breathing_. Shrieking, she fell forward, caught herself on a desk, and spun around.

"Hello, what's this? Do I know you?"

Lynnie silently groaned. A familiar man in sunglasses was leaning against the wall, apparently studying her.

"Hey! In Petalburg City, remember?" Lynnie demanded, putting her glove-clad right hand on her hip and shooting him a patronizing look.

"Oh, right…" He smirked. "Well, might as well introduce myself then. The name's Scott."

"Er… I'm Lynnie," she replied awkwardly.

"So, what _would_ you be looking for _here_?" Scott mused.

"The gym!" Lynnie exclaimed. "But—but—it's a school!"

"Didn't you know? This is Rustboro's Trainer School, and the gym's in the back," Scott answered, gesturing towards a door near the blackboard. "You _are_ a trainer, then? Interesting…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lynnie cried.

Scott's smirk grew. "You'll see."

Lynnie blinked when the door near the blackboard suddenly opened. A dark-haired girl quietly slipped in and began whispering to the teacher. He nodded and stood up, knocking on his podium.

"Study break's over!" he announced. "Everyone back to your seats!"

The students obediently scrambled back to their desks, but still mumbled back and forth between each other. Scott then shoved Lynnie into an empty desk.

"What was that for?" Lynnie hissed. "I'm not a student here!"

"That's not important," Scott shrugged. "Neither are some of the other kids here."

"But why—"

"It's part of the gym challenge."

The dark-haired girl sighed, set a paper on Lynnie's desk, and turned to the next row of desks. Without thinking, Lynnie grabbed the girl's arm.

"Hm?"

"Why?"

The girl gave a forced smile. "You see, it's due to a combination of an influx of challengers and a lacking amount of effort on the students' parts. Daily tests encourage the students to study, and the highest scorer can choose to proceed to the battling portion. It's a double incentive for the students who are also trainers."

With that, she distributed the rest of the tests and returned to the front of the room. The teacher stood up as she sat down.

"Thank you, Roxanne. Feel free to look over yesterday's lecture notes," he muttered to her. Then he called, "Let the test begin!"

_Lecture notes?_ Lynnie crossed her eyes. _But she's the one giving the tests? Doesn't that make her the gym leader? Does she even take tests like everyone else?_

It was then that she realized she hadn't even started on her test yet. Gulping, Lynnie crossed her fingers and hoped there were no essay questions…

* * *

"Please wait patiently while the tests are graded," Roxanne called.

Relieved sighs filled the room as the test papers were collected. Lynnie groaned audibly. She'd actually been doing fairly well on the multiple choice until she hit a Pokémon she didn't recognize, Meditite, and then the rest of the test had crashed and burned… Especially the last question, which had been an essay after all: "Describe the _differences_ between Rock- and Steel-type Pokémon in 150 words or more."

Lynnie boredly twirled a piece of hair around her finger. She then turned to watching Roxanne and the headmaster grade papers, but got dizzy after looking at such a large stack of tests. Sighing, she laid her head down on her desk. She was _bored_.

Her mind then turned to wondering why Scott was there, anyway. He could just be acting nosy, as she stubbornly thought; observing the lesson; or watching to see who beat Roxanne on his way through, which was probably right.

Suddenly, Roxanne and the headmaster stood up—finally, Lynnie thought.

"The highest scorer was Leon Hickory," Roxanne announced. "Leon, please follow me… Everyone else, check at the front desk for your score. Students, please turn in yesterday's homework while you're at it; visitors, please look over your tests as you leave."

A short brown-haired boy followed Roxanne through the gym door as everyone else filed up to the headmaster's desk. Lynnie grabbed her test paper, but before she looked at her score, her eyes caught Scott's. He shrugged at her indifferently, and then trailed after Leon and Roxanne into the gym.

Sighing, Lynnie walked towards the exit along with a few other trainers who were grumbling over their grade. She finally looked down at her own paper and promptly crossed her eyes.

_Fifty-five percent?_ Lynnie twitched. _I even did better than that on Earl's tests! Oh well… Might as well look over the ones I did wrong…_

By now, Lynnie had slipped back outside. A warm breeze had picked up, and she grinned.

_But not before I do some more sightseeing!_

* * *

Back at the Pokémon Center, Lynnie finished off a bowl of rice and yawned. She'd paid a visit to the Pokémart and checked herself back in for the night before realizing how hungry she was.

After throwing away the plastic bowl, she ducked into a phone booth. She dialed Crys's number, and the older girl picked up almost immediately.

"Hey, Crys," Lynnie grinned. "What's up?"

"Hi, Lynnie," Crys replied, tugging on one of her ponytails. "Well, we had a pop quiz at school today, but…"

"But what?"

"I…" Crys looked away. "I got an eighty-five on it."

"Okay, what's up other than the fact that you got less than a ninety on something?" Lynnie quipped.

"I had to take Ivy and Violet to Professor Elm's after school for a checkup after school today, and he said they'd have to stay over night." Crys sighed. Ivy and Violet were her Ivysaur and Meganium. "Well, is Skipper okay?"

"Yup! And Professor Birch gave me this, too!"

Lynnie pulled out her Pokédex, and Crys's eyes widened.

"You said you didn't have one!"

"Yeah, but that was before," Lynnie crossed her eyes. "By the way, speaking of quizzes, you won't believe this. I tried to make my first gym battle today, and the gym leader passed out written tests! The gym's in the back of a school building."

"Really?" Crys perked up. "What'd you make on it?"

Lynnie shifted slightly. "A fifty-five."

"Lynnie…" Crys groaned. Suddenly, she grinned again. "Hey, wait, do you still have the test paper?"

"Hold it up to the screen and I can help you study. You usually do better when I review with you, so…"

"Okay, hold on," Lynnie mumbled, fishing around in her bag. She eventually found the paper crumpled up in the bottom of one of the pockets and attempted to straighten it out. "Here."

"All right, Lynnie," Crys started. "Question one…"

* * *

Lynnie stretched as she rolled a sleeping bag out in the Pokémon Center's common room. Crys had just finished going over the whole test with her twice, and by the second time, Lynnie had managed to scrape up a decent response to the essay question.

Smiling as she crawled into the sleeping bag, Lynnie fell asleep feeling confident…


	9. Chapter Eight: Vs Nosepass!

_Author's Note:_ …Well, school started back up for me last Wednesday. And it's very inconvenient because I barely have any time to type now.

Oh well. Back to your regularly scheduled chapter. The only comment I really have about this is that Roxanne only uses one Pokémon because I didn't want to drag things out too much.

And since it was asked and is actually fairly important, Lynnie crosses her eyes all the time because each of my OCs is going to have something weird that they do (e.g., Johnny has a hugging complex).

**Chapter Eight: Vs Nosepass!**

Lynnie yawned as she ate her breakfast in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria. Stretching, she finished off her biscuit and ducked back up to the breakfast line. Grabbing a second biscuit, she hurried out of the building.

Crouching at the side of the Pokémon Center, Lynnie released Skipper, Oakley, and Domino. Skipper yawned and smiled, while Oakley and Domino blinked sleepily. Lynnie gave each of them a piece of her biscuit; while the nurse definitely fed her patients, Lynnie had decided to give her Pokémon something extra.

"All right, guys," Lynnie said. "Today I'll pass this thing. Ready?"

"Mud!" Skipper responded for the group, nodding.

Lynnie grinned as she recalled the three. Clipping her Pokéballs back onto her belt, she hurriedly made her way to the slightly familiar path to the gym.

After she entered the building again, Lynnie was still somewhat surprised at the students and desks. Lynnie sighed and sank into the same desk she'd been in the day before, realizing she'd gotten there a nit earlier than she had to. The students were still using their "study break" to goof off—she could have slept in a bit more…

Sighing, Lynnie watched a group of students gathering around a boy juggling his Pokéballs. Additonally, a few girls were drawing on the chalkboard (the headmaster looked pained, but made no move to stop them).

Lowering her head onto her desk for a nap, Lynnie blinked when a paper wad sailed over her. Blinking, she watched it graze a tall boy's head and lazily fall onto the floor. The boy was still studying, however, and apparently hadn't noticed the paper wad, much to the dismay of a pair of girls in the back of the room.

Just as Lynnie was deciding she really didn't want to know the details, Roxanne opened the small door next to the chalkboard again and drifted over to the headmaster. He looked relieved and called the students back to their desks, and motioned to Roxane to begin distributing the tests.

Lynnie felt unusually confident over a written test as a paper landed on her desk…

* * *

Stretching, Lynnie sighed as the tests were recollected. There hadn't been any Meditite questions, fortunately, and a couple of the questions had even been on Pokémon that Crys had reviewed with her. This time, however, the essay had been more complicated—_Discuss the tactical difference between the abilities Sturdy and Rock Head._

Lynnie boredly leaned the chair onto its back to legs and propped her feet up on the desk. Okay, it wasn't that much more comfortable, but hey, it was better than being stiff… When Roxanne stood up from grading papers, Lynnie left her feet up, despite an annoyed look from the Gym Leader.

"Today's highest scorer was…" Roxanne squinted, apparently having a hard time making out the handwriting, and Lynnie crossed her fingers. "Lynnie… Maple? Please some forward…"

Lynnie sat numbly for a moment before realization sunk in. The front to legs of her chair clattered down as her feet hit the floor, earning her a few glares. She felt her face redden slightly as Roxanne beckoned her forward. As Lynnie followed Roxanne into the gym, the headmaster redistributed the tests and began giving directions.

It had a large, rocky arena in the middle, and while the schoolroom had been wallpapered, the gym room was still plain stone. Lynnie grinned; despite the fact that this was her first gym challenge, neither Roxanne nor the gym room felt particularly intimidating.

"Well… Lynnie? I have to admit that it was very impressive to raise your score from a fifty-five to an eighty-five," Roxanne mused. "Although, I am slightly curious…"

"What?" Lynnie demanded. "If I was gonna cheat, I would have yesterday!"

"Well, I'm not accusing anyone of cheating," Roxanne replied mildly. "Now, I should explain the rules of this gym; I'd like to get straight to the point here. Each trainer can use one Pokémon, no substitutions, and will be considered defeated if her selection faints."

"Shouldn't be a problem…" Lynnie mumbled.

"All right, then," Roxanne answered smugly. "If you'll take the challenger's platform…" (Lynnie crossed the room.) "Now, go, Nosepass!"

Lynnie crossed her eyes. At first, she couldn't tell whether Nosepass was a Rock- or Steel-type… After a moment, she decided it was Rock.

"Easy," Lynnie grinned. "Go, Oakley!"

Roxanne's eyes flickered over Oakley, who was rocking back and forth and staring rather nonchalantly at the larger Pokémon. Lynnie blinked as Roxanne smirked confidently.

"Just give it a Bullet Seed, Oakley!" Lynnie called.

"Nosepass, use Rock Throw!"

Oakley ducked and rolled out of the way as Nosepass launched a Rock Throw. Jumping back up, she fired a Bullet Seed out of her stem, sending Nosepass skidding. Lynnie frowned, however, as it easily got back up.

Roxanne giggled. "Nosepass is weak to Grass-type moves, but it has a surprising amount of endurance. Try Tackle this time!"

"Oakley, use Bide!" Lynnie countered.

Oakley braced herself as Nosepass collided with her. Narrowing her eyes, she glowed red for a brief moment and rammed into Nosepass. It flailed for a moment before falling over, but slowly returned to a standing position.

"Now, Thunder Wave, Nosepass," Roxanne called.

"Quick, use Nature Power!" Lynnie responded.

Nosepass shot a small jolt of electricity from its apendages as Oakley began concentrating for her attack. The Thunder Wave struck before she could hit, numbing her.

"All right, use Rock Throw one more time!"

Nosepass hurled another avalanche of boulders towards Oakley. This time, the Seedot's reaction time was too slow, and she didn't manage to dodge.

"Um…" Lynnie quipped.

"Well…" Roxanne folded her arms. "I suppose I win."

Suddenly, a blast of stars shot through the rocks, startling Lynnie, Roxanne, and Nosepass. Oakley rolled out of the small hole she'd made, and, closing her eyes, shot another Swift at Nosepass. The Rock Pokémon staggered slightly, and Lynnie realized it was about to faint.

"All right! Try Bullet Seed one more time!" Lynnie cried.

Oakley slowly shot another Bullet Seed out of her stem. Nosepass once again skidded back, and this time didn't get up. Lynnie and Roxanne both blinked in surprise.

"Hey, that rocked, Oakley!" Lynnie grinned and withdrew the Seedot. "Uh, no pun intended, there…"

"Ha," Roxanne smiled, withdrawing Nosepass. "Well, that Nature Power was quite a turnaround. I'm impressed. You've earned your Stone Badge."

Roxanne reached into a pocket in her skirt and pulled out a pointed badge. Lynnie clipped it onto the strap of her bag.

"Yeah, well, I was kinda lucky," Lynnie responded. "That's what I'm good at, I guess. But I have a goal to reach, too."

"I'm sure you'll reach it," Roxanne smiled again. "Now then, you can leave through the side door there if you wish. I've got to get back to class to help with the lecture."

"Thanks," Lynnie said.

The two girls waved to each other as Roxanne returned to the schoolroom. Lynnie then sighed as she headed out the door, running her fingers over her new badge. Three more to go…


	10. Chapter Nine: Vs Poochyena II!

_Author's Note:_ Eh. Somehow I both like and dislike this chapter… Oh well.

The Aqua Grunt and Devon Researcher return. Oh, and Devon Researcher has a name now. (Gasp!)

**Chapter Nine: Vs Poochyena II!**

Lynnie grinned as she exited the gym, running her fingers over her new Stone Badge. She decided to do a bit more sightseeing before leaving Rustboro and started back towards the Pokémon Center.

That and some food would be nice. Lynnie sighed as her stomach growled. The shopping would have to unfortunately wait until after she stopped at the Pokémon Center.

Stretching, Lynnie closed her eyes as she walked back towards the Pokémon Center. Consequently, she wasn't quite prepared when she crashed into something moving.

"H-hey, you! Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, a blur dashed past Lynnie, knocking her over. Crossing her eyes and dusting herself off, she stood back up to see a blue-and-black clad man rushing away with a silver briefcase in hand. A feeling of nostalgia washed over her as she recognized him from Petalburg Woods.

"No way," Lynnie muttered. "You just have to come back and…"

The man smirked over his shoulder, his eyes almost mocking, "Too bad!" He tossed a small object onto the ground, which promptly exploded into a cloud of smoke. Coughing, Lynnie tried to wave some of the said smoke out of her eyes, and by the time she could see clearly again, the man was gone.

"Well, that just wasn't fair," Lynnie complained, folding her arms. "But I guess I shouldn't have expected that."

"Um, miss?"

"Now what…"

Lynnie turned around to see the Devon Researcher she'd met in Petalburg Woods. He'd folded his hands behind his back and was concentrating a bit more on the pavement than Lynnie.

"Oh, hi," Lynnie grinned. "You're that Shroomish guy!"

He laughed nervously. "Um, yes. But…"

"But that guy," Lynnie jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Right?"

"Right," he answered sheepishly. "I hate to impose again, but…"

"Well, do you want me to just go, or should you come with me?" Lynnie asked.

"If you want to… there's really only the tunnel project that he could have gone through," the Devon employee answered. "You really can't miss it."

"Okay, gotcha," Lynnie grinned, and turned around, heading back in the direction of the gym.

"Um, miss. The tunnel project's _east_ of here, not north…"

"I… I knew that."

Sighing, Lynnie corrected herself and headed towards the eastern gate of Rustboro…

- - -

"Ow."

For what seemed like the millionth time, Lynnie tripped over a stone in the uneven ground. Rustboro was north of a forest for crying out loud. Why did the eastern landscape have to be so rocky anyway?

Picking some of the clay-like soil off of her sleeve, Lynnie stood back up and sighed. Not only did her sense of direction fail, but so did her coordination. At least there couldn't be _that_ much farther to go…

And fortunately, soon enough she spotted a cave entrance in a gradually sloping mountain. Lynnie gulped—caves made her rather nervous.

Ducking through the short entrance, she shivered slightly. The air was somewhat misty, and the low temperature didn't help any. Squinting through the mist, she tried to feel along the wall, ignoring the condensation numbing her fingers as best as she could.

Lynnie was actually doing fairly well, until she tripped again. Landing flat on her face, she grumbled to herself as she tried to stand back up.

"Shame. The ground's a nice place for you. Keeps you out of the way and all."

"Uh, hi there," Lynnie tried as she heard the thief.

"I really don't have time for this again, you know," he snapped. "So why don't you just—"

"Which I suppose is why you're hanging out in an unfinished tunnel," Lynnie giggled, noticing a solid wall behind the man.

"Shut up," he muttered. "Just because I'm stuck here doesn't mean I don't have a back up plan, and…"

"Wingull!"

A small white bird interrupted his sentence, flapping its wings nervously. The thief glared.

"I can't even steal a useful Pokémon," he muttered.

"Well, hey, how about we have a battle then?" Lynnie suggested. "If I win, you get to get rid of Wingull, but I get that thing you stole."

"And if I win?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, you won't."

"You arrogant—!" the man shouted, grabbing his Pokéball. "Go, Poochyena! Teach this brat a lesson!"

"Hey!" Lynnie retorted. "Come on, Skipper!"

Skipper appeared next to Lynnie's feet as the Poochyena barked. The thief simply smirked as the Mudkip cocked her head to the side.

"Heh. Use Bite, Poochyena!"

"Water Gun!"

Poochyena quickly leapt forward, bearing its fangs and Snarling. Skipper shot a retaliatory blast of water just in time, sending the dark-type skidding backwards. Shaking itself off, the Poochyena growled.

"Weak," the man hissed. "Use Tackle and don't miss this time!"

"You use Tackle too," Lynnie called.

The two Pokémon charged forward and crashed into each other. Both of them fell backwards after the impact. Skipper slowly raised herself back onto her feet as Poochyena panted.

"Try a Mud Slap now, Skipper!"

"No—Poochyena, Bite again!"

Poochyena weakly raised itself onto its feet and stumbled forward. Skipper quickly dug her feet into the rocky dirt of the cave and shot it towards the other Pokémon. Caught off guard, Poochyena tried to shake the dirt out of its face with little success.

"All right, finish it with another Tackle!" Lynnie countered.

Skipper once again leapt towards the Poochyena, knocking it back to its trainer's side. Grumbling, the thief withdrew his Pokémon.

"Why _again_?" he growled. "Fine, just take the goods and leave me alone, will you? I'll get docked for being so weak anyway. It's not like the boss won't get what he wants in the end…"

With that, he dropped another smoke bomb. Coughing and blinking as she withdrew Skipper, Lynnie waved the smoke away, and he was gone again. She then sighed and knelt down next to the Wingull, who was flitting timidly around the briefcase.

"I guess the best I can do is turn you in," she muttered, reaching for a Pokéball. "Here…"

"W-wingull!" it stammered, and nervously blasted her with a Water Gun.

Lynnie crossed her eyes. "Just… my… luck."

- - -

"Here."

Lynnie handed the surprisingly light briefcase to the Devon researcher as she returned to Rustboro City. He grinned thankfully.

"This is amazing," he said, truly sounding like he meant it. "Let me take you to the Corporation. I'm sure the president would like a word with you, miss, um…"

"Lynnie."

"Miss Lynnie," he corrected himself. "All right then!"

"Hey, wait!" Lynnie cried, jogging to keep up. The man had a surprisingly quick pace…

- - -

Lynnie sighed as she sat down in Devon Corporation's red-carpeted lobby. The researcher had headed upstairs a few minutes ago to speak with the president and requested that she wait downstairs. Unfortunately, there were no chairs, so she had to sit on the floor.

She boredly tossed the Wingull's Pokéball back and forth between her hands. She'd eventually managed to coax it in, but still had no idea what to do with it.

Bored, Lynnie stood back up—and promptly hit her head on the glass case next to her. Crossing her eyes and rubbing her forehead, Lynnie read the description on a small engraving on the front of the case.

"Devon got its start as a producer of stones from quarries." Rock and metal fragments lay inside the case, and a small card read, "Samples donated by Steven Stone."

"Crys would love this place," Lynnie muttered. "But I wonder who Steven Stone is?"

"Lynnie, Mr. Stone is ready to speak to you now."

The researcher reappeared at the bottom of the stairs. Lynnie jumped, finding it ironic that the president's last name was Stone. _He _wasn't Steven, right…?

"Sure, but what about?"

"The goods, I think," he replied. "His office is up on the top floor."

"How many floors are there?"

"Ten—please keep up!"

Lynnie twitched slightly as she scrambled to keep up with him. The researcher explained the projects on each floor as they passed, but Lynnie was hardly paying attention; technicalities really bored her. She was vaguely interested, however, in a fossil regeneration project he mentioned when passing the sixth floor.

"Here we are," the researcher announced as they reached the top of the last staircase—the president's office apparently took up the entire floor. "She's here, Mr. Stone!"

"All right. Bring her here," a soft voice returned.

The researcher led Lynnie through the large room to a long desk at the opposite end. An elderly bearded man in a brown suit sat signing papers. He looked up as they approached, smiling.

"Ah, Lynnie, yes?" Standing up, he extended his hand. "I'm Lapis Stone. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Er, thanks," Lynnie replied, taking his hand.

After shaking her hand, he sat back down. "Well, let's get down to business then, shall we? It's come to my attention that you've helped recover some of our goods from a thug of one Team Aqua twice. If I'm not imposing, this is an important delivery that must be made to Slateport's shipyard, and I was hoping you could go."

"Well…" Confused, Lynnie pinched the bridge of her nose. "I mean, yeah, of course, but why?"

"Never mind the details," Mr. Stone replied, an odd tone in his voice. However, he bridged his fingers and smiled at her again. "Than you for agreeing to this, though. I have just one more thing to ask of you. There's a small island called Dewford on the way to Slateport. I need you to deliver a letter to a man named Steven waiting there."

"Um… Sure," Lynnie answered—as _if_ she could say otherwise—but she was starting to get even more confused. How in the world would she get transport to there? And why was this Steven guy just hanging out in Dewford, anyway?

Mr. Stone nodded. "Very well. Oh, and…" He reached into a pocket in his suit and pulled out a small oval-shaped device. "Consider this a return gift. It's one of our recently developed PokéNavs—it's programmed with a map, among other things."

Looking it over a few times, Lynnie clipped it onto the strap of her bag, grinning. "Cool, sir!"

Mr. Stone grinned back as he watched her, apparently catching site of her Stone Badge at the same time. "You're welcome. And I think you'll be pleased to know that there's a gym in Dewford Town as well. Now then, the parts and letter are on the shelf near the door, and Jerry there will show you out. Good luck!"

Lynnie blinked, realizing he meant the man that had shown her in. Jerry creaked open the door, and Lynnie took the goods and the letter, thankful that whatever had been in the briefcase had been moved into a much smaller box.

Eventually, she arrived back on the first floor. Catching sight of the stone display in the lobby again, something clicked in her mind.

_Mr. Stone wants me to take the letter to some Steven guy. Could he be the stone donator? They'd have the same last name then…_

Lynnie shook her head. "Nah, I'm probably just thinking too much. It must be a coincidence, or something."

With that, Lynnie headed out of the building, whistling as she thought about her two deliveries and possible badge.


	11. Chapter Ten: Vs Wingull!

_Author's Note:_ …I just realized that I can use my school laptop to update this. (smacks self)

Anyway, what is going to go here I would normally use the PM system for, but it's actually very important, so… Yeah. Lynnie _will_ lose occasionally because I realize that it's stupid to read about a character that wins all the time. Plus if she never lost she would have no challenges and it would just get boring. In fact, I was actually planning on having a loss or two here soon.

Phew, now that that text block is out of the way, the only comment I have on this chapter is that Brendan finally gets to come back for a few minutes (yay!). And it's short because it really just works better this way. I'd like to make it longer, but in this case, anything extra would just be superfluous.

**Chapter Ten: Vs Wingull!**

"Hey! Lynnie!"

Lynnie crossed her eyes as she walked out of the Pokémon Center the next morning. After leaving Devon, she'd gone on and checked herself in out of tiredness.

And now Brendan jogged up to her from the southern gate of Rustboro, resting his hand on a lamppost as he stopped to catch his breath. He then grinned at her.

"Um, hi?" she answered.

"Dad's been sending me farther out lately to do some fieldwork," Brendan explained. "We've been using a Wingull I caught to carry messages back and forth."

"A Wingull?" Lynnie repeated. "I found one a while ago, and—"

"Oh?" Brendan raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know they made nests around here."

"I don't think they do…" Lynnie crossed her arms. "It's someone else's, I think."

"Really," Brendan frowned. "Do you still have it on you?"

"Yeah, here," Lynnie answered.

Pulling the Pokéball out of her bag, Lynnie pressed the release button. The Wingull nervously looked up at her and Brendan from the pavement. It hadn't quite gotten used to Lynnie yet, but at least enough so that it didn't Water Gun her at every opportunity.

"Hey, its wings are green," Brendan commented. "I've never seen that before. Dad would be excited to see this."

"Are they not supposed to be?" Lynnie blinked.

"Um, no, Lynnie," Brendan laughed slightly. "Don't you know? Wingulls generally have blue stripes on their wings. I have heard of variations before, but… Oh hey, I just remembered something."

Lynnie twitched slightly and decided to ignore Brendan's laughter. Instead, she cleared her throat.

"Oh, what?" she forced.

"There's this old sailor guy, Briney," he commented. "He lives in a cabin out near Petalburg, and I've met him a few times while doing fieldwork. He said he had a Wingull with a variation in its wing pattern, but when I was out there the other day, he said he'd lost it."

"_I didn't even steal a useful Pokémon on the way up here."_

_Wait a minute…_ Lynnie thought. _Could it be…?_

"Okay, great, I know where you go now!" she cried, picking up the Wingull.

"Wing!" it said awkwardly.

Lynnie grinned sheepishly as she recalled it. "Thanks, Brendan! Gotta go!"

"Wait, Lynnie, I was supposed to—" Brendan started, but the girl was already gone. Sighing, he rested his forehead in his palm. "Dang, that girl is hyper… I didn't even get to check up on her Pokedex for Dad."

- - -

After checking the map on her PokéNav, Lynnie had decided that the best way to get to Dewford and Slateport was to go south from Rustboro. This, of course, meant wandering around Petalburg Woods again for several hours, but hey, with any luck she'd be able to get a ride to Dewford off of this Briney guy anyway.

But Petalburg Woods meant bugs, and bugs meant that a few hours felt like a few days. Lynnie shuddered as she dodged several dozen Wurmples on her way through.

Sighing, she ducked under a tree branch and hoped she didn't take any more wrong turns…

- - -

"Wingull! Where—"

Lynnie scrambled after the small Pokémon as it frantically flew past her. After reaching the edge of the woods, she'd decided to release it, hoping that it would help her find its trainer's cabin. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea after all, though, as she was starting to lose sight of it…

Suddenly, she spotted it diving down next to a rather run-down hut situated nearly on Route 104's shoreline. An equally dilapidated dock and tiny boat were next to the cottage, and the door the Wingull was pecking at looked ready to fall over. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie scooped it up and knocked hastily. It was flung open, revealing a dingy inside, and Lynnie blinked as the Wingull promptly flew from her hands.

And then she was dragged into a rib-breaking, one-armed bear hug.

"Oh, Peeko, you're safe! I was so worried!"

Lynnie blinked into the sailor outfit. "Uh… what?"

The elderly man grinned sheepishly and released her as the Wingull happily perched on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, miss, but Peeko owes her life to you! Could you honor me with your name?"

Still confused slightly, she responded, "Um, Lynnie?"

"Ah!" He extended a hand, and Lynnie shook it awkwardly. "I'm Briney. Now, if there's anything I can ever do for you, don't hesitate to ask!"

"Well, actually!" Lynnie said quickly. "I noticed a boat outside, and I need a ride to Dewford pronto! I mean, if it's okay with you."

"Of course, but may I ask whatever for?" Briney questioned, raising a white eyebrow.

"You see…" Lynnie reached into her bag and pulled out the folded up envelope from Mr. Stone. "I'm supposed to be delivering this to someone in Dewford."

"All right then," Briney mused, folding his arms. "It's been a while, but I guess it's settled! We're setting sail!"

- - -

"You've been sitting there for nearly the whole trip, Lynnie. You don't get seasick, do you?"

Lynnie jumped when Briney addressed her from the boat's steering wheel. She'd been sitting at the edge of the boat, letting her feet dangle through the railing, for almost the entire voyage. The only time she'd gotten up was for lunch, and now it was late in the evening.

"Not yet," she replied. "I mean, I don't think so. Okay, actually what I mean is, I've just never seen the ocean before."

"What?"

Briney's hand slipped on the steering wheel, causing the boat to jerk and Lynnie's stomach to lurch. He regained himself as Peeko anxiously flew down next to him.

"Most places around here aren't all that far from water," he muttered.

"I'm not from around here," Lynnie answered matter-of-factly, watching a pale, sandy shoreline come into view.

"Oh. Well, we're almost to Dewford," he said quickly. "If you don't mind, I'm going to have to drop you off."

"Why?"

"It's actually been a few years since I've gotten the chance to sail like this," Briney admitted. "As such, I don't remember the waters around these parts very well."

"Okay…" Lynnie trailed off as the ship approached the shore. Briney lowered the anchor and ladder, and then turned back to her.

"All right, then, come on!" he called.

Lynnie sighed and crawled over the side of the boat. Loosely holding the railing, she stepped onto the ladder and started to climb down.

"Good luck with that delivery!" Briney added.

Lynnie jumped down onto the shore. Looking back up, she saw him waving at her.

"Thanks," she responded, watching him pull the anchor up. With a grin, Briney began to drift away, and he steered the boat back towards the north.

After watching the boat disappear, Lynnie finally realized how cold she was. Sleepily, she started searching for the Pokémon Center, eager for a nice nap…


	12. Chapter Eleven: Vs Zubat!

_Author's Note:_ …Yeah, I delayed this chapter pretty badly. I blame it on school work and the fact that I agonized over the dialogue. However, Steven is in this chapter. And Steven is cool.

And yes, I know it's short. The next chapter will be quite a bit longer though.

Oh, and! I know have drawings of everyone in my profile. Yay for a new working scanner!

**Chapter Eleven: Vs Zubat!**

_Riiiiiiing!_

Lynnie smacked her PokéNav the next morning as she woke up. Rubbing her eyes, she realized that it was still somewhat dark, and promptly wanted to go back to sleep. Additionally, how the majority of the people that had been in the common room the night before had woken up as apparently early as they had was beyond her…

_Riiiiiiing!_

"Since when does this thing have an alarm clock?" Lynnie demanded under her breath.

Flipping the device open, she squinted at the small screen. The message "incoming call" was flashing in a text box, and Lynnie sighed and hit the "accept" button.

"Ah, Lynnie, good morning!" Mr. Stone greeted cheerfully as his face appeared onscreen. "I hope I'm not calling too early."

"N…no, you're fine," Lynnie forced, stifling a yawn. "I've, uh, been up for a few minutes?"

"Good," Mr. Stone went on. "Well, you see, I wanted to tell you that I just got a call from Steven. He said he's been making some excavations in Granite Cave, which is in the northern part of Dewford. When he told me he was almost finished, I said you were on your way, so he'll wait up a little while for you."

"Oh, that's great, Mr. Stone, thanks," Lynnie answered a bit half-heartedly.

"You're welcome. Now, I've got a meeting in pharmaceuticals in twenty minutes, so I've got to go." Mr. Stone smiled. "Good luck, Lynnie!"

The girl frowned as Mr. Stone terminated the call. Just her luck—how many caves did she have to go through for this company?

Grumbling, Lynnie rolled up her sleeping bag, turned it in, and left the warmth of the Pokémon Center.

- - -

Lynnie shivered as she reached a large cavern at the edge of the small town. The sun was just starting to rise, causing rays of light to splash over the steep top of the cave.

Hoping the inside looked a bit less intimidating, Lynnie sighed, turning herself sideways to go through the narrow entrance. After a few moments, she was able to walk forwards again, and she crossed her eyes as she looked around. The cave actually did look like it was made of granite, and all the light reflecting off the walls was somewhat blinding compared to outside. The ground rose and fell in odd patterns, and small shards were embedded in the floor.

Two other small tunnel entrances were at the edge of the chamber Lynnie was in. Sighing, she closed her eyes and pointed, and then spun around a few times. Opening her eyes, Lynnie found herself pointing at the left tunnel. She shrugged and ducked into it. After a fairly long walk, which seemed much longer due to the fact that she had to slouch to fit through, she stood over a sheer cliff overlooking an underground pond.

Crossing her eyes, Lynnie wished for a moment that she actually knew how to swim. However, she hated heights, and slowly backed up. Suddenly, Lynnie's head knocked into something, and then she heard a loud screech. There was then a fluttering sound and then she saw a small group of blue bats.

"Where'd you guys come from?" Lynnie cried as she ducked away from one of them. "Okay, I wasn't paying attention, and I shouldn't have run into you, but—"

Lynnie swerved to the right as a Zubat angrily flew towards her. Hurriedly, she released Skipper, Oakley, and Domino.

"Okay, guys, use Water Gun, Bullet Seed, and Absorb!" Lynnie tried.

The three Pokémon struck the Zubat, and it tumbled backwards in the air. Faltering, it dove towards Oakley as another pair flew towards Skipper and Domino. Oakley quickly ducked and rolled slightly, while Skipper and Domino repeated their attacks. The first Zubat crashed into the wall behind Lynnie, while the other two fell slightly.

As one of the two remaining Zubat dove towards Skipper, Lynnie crossed her eyes at the last one. It was slightly larger than the others were, and it seemed to just be hanging back. Skipper blasted the Zubat attacking her with another Water Gun, and the weakened group of Zubats fluttered weakly over to the larger one, looking at it desperately. Finally, it lazily flew forward, its mouth gaping.

"All right, all of you attack that big one!" Lynnie called.

Skipper, Oakley, and Domino repeated their attacks again, and the Zubat shrieked as it collapsed to the floor of the cave. The rest of the Zubats began flitting around in a panic—apparently, they'd just lost their leader. Lynnie grinned, but then backed up as the Zubats started to dive towards her in confusion. Withdrawing her Pokémon instinctively—there was no way they could take all four Zubats—she put her arm in front of her face, expecting to feel fangs at any moment.

"Psychic!"

Lynnie heard a blast strike the Zubats, followed by their collective shriek. Slowly, Lynnie opened her eyes to see them vanishing into a darker part of the room. Crossing her eyes, she wondered what had attacked them, and then she noticed a large blue metallic Pokémon near the cliff edge.

"Good job, Metagross."

The same voice called from behind her, and Lynnie blinked in confusion as a silver-haired young man approached the Metagross. He grinned as he recalled it, and then turned to Lynnie.

"You had a good plan, in retrospect, but you really should be more careful," he explained.

"Hey, what?" Lynnie frowned.

The man laughed, but not cruelly. "Don't worry, it was a compliment. Although, I _am_ curious… What made those Zubat attack in the first place?"

"I don't know!" Lynnie cried. "I just kinda ran into one of them, and… Wait, who _are_ you, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man apologized. "How rude of me. I'm Steven Stone. I've been excavating here for the past few days, and I'm waiting for a delivery."

"Hey!" Lynnie pulled the now somewhat crumpled letter from her bag and handed it to him. "Here it is! Um, sorry about that—"

"Hm?" Steven raised an eyebrow as he straightened and opened the letter. "Thank you. You must be Lynnie."

"Uh… yeah," Lynnie answered, before realizing it had been more of a statement than a question.

Steven read the letter with an unreadable look on his face. Muttering "I see," to himself, he carefully folded it and tucked it into his jacket. He then gave Lynnie an appreciative grin.

"I apologize for making you go through all that to bring this to me," he said. "Should I show you out?"

"Thanks, but no. I _think_ I remember where I came in from," Lynnie replied.

"All right then. Thank you again, Lynnie." Steven smiled mysteriously. "It would be a pleasure if we were to meet again."

Lynnie blinked, and then Steven was gone. She shook her head.

"How weird," she muttered. "But, he did kind of act like Mr. Stone, I think."

Sighing, Lynnie turned back around and proceeded to wander through the cave. Hopefully she wouldn't run into any more Zubats on her way out…


	13. Chapter Twelve: Vs Machop!

_Author's Note:_ Now we finally get to Brawly. And uh, just so you know, I hated the characterization he got in the anime (stupid surfer's vernacular), so… I tweaked him a bit. Anyways, this is a nice long addition. Plus, some chocolate abuse on Lynnie's part.

**Chapter Twelve: Vs Machop!**

"Aw, man, why didn't I let him show me out?"

Lynnie was grumbling to herself several hours later. Her horrid sense of direction had done her in again, and it led to a very long walk to get out of Granite Cave. At least there hadn't been any more swarms, though, despite a few random encounters.

But now the sun was quite high overhead, beating down on Dewford's beach rather mercilessly. Lynnie didn't quite understand why people voluntarily ran around barefoot on the hot sand; she was nearly sweating through her sneakers.

"I'm hungry," Lynnie sulked.

Sighing, she watched a wave roll onto the beach. Lynnie held her stomach and quickly trailed down the shore, heading for the Pokémon Center. Quickly enough, she arrived in front of the sliding glass doors.

Pushing them open, Lynnie handed her Pokémon to the nurse and headed to the snack bar. She grabbed a chocolate bar, unpeeled the wrapper, and sat down in a stool. A nearby bookshelf caught her attention as she chewed on the chocolate. Among the magazines were the Pokémon Journals with the interviews, mostly out of order, although five and six were together.

Swallowing and taking another bite, Lynnie pulled out the fifth and flipped it to the cover story. As she read it, she realized that the whole thing was very typical of Norman.

_Gabby: (motioning to the camera) Ah, yes, Norman. What's your reason for choosing Normal-types?  
__Norman: Hmm. They have very few weak points, and they can attack most other types fairly well. They're quite balanced, overall.  
_…  
_Gabby: I understand you've only recently moved to Hoenn. Where'd you move from?  
__Norman: The Johto region.  
__Gabby: Really? That far? Did you come alone, or do you have any family with you?  
__Norman: (frowning) My wife Melanie and daughter Lynnie came along with me.  
_…  
_Gabby: What made you want to apply for the Gym Leader position?  
__Norman: I've been thinking about this for a while, actually. Battling upper-level opponents has been a goal of mine._

"Ugh," Lynnie muttered, putting it back on the shelf. "Why would anyone want to _record_ this? He barely even mentioned me and Mom!"

Finishing her chocolate, Lynnie angrily crumpled the wrapper. She aimed at the trashcan at the front of the Pokémon Center and made an overhand toss. Unfortunately, overhand was not her strong point, and at that moment the front door just had to slide open.

"Oh, snap," Lynnie squeaked, ducking away from the snack bar.

"You should have thrown underhanded."

Except obviously she hadn't been fast quick enough. A young man with spiky blue hair and a surfboard picked up the chocolate wrapper, grinning. Leaning the surfboard up against the wall, he pulled an orange sweater over his head, and then made a near-perfect underhand pass back to her.

"Oh, um, right," Lynnie replied. She made a quick underhand throw, and the wrapper landed easily in the trashcan.

"See?" The man winked. "I'm Brawly, by the way. You don't look like you're from around here."

"I'm Lynnie, and… how'd you know?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

Brawly laughed. "This place is so small that we all know who's who. If you'd moved here, everyone would be talking about it."

Lynnie's eyebrow twitched slightly. She was suddenly grateful that she hadn't run into anyone on the way back from Granite Cave, imagining how stupid she'd sound asking for directions to the gym.

"Miss? Your Pokémon…"

"Thanks," Lynnie muttered, looking down as the aide approached her and handed over her Pokéballs. She really was glad for the diversion, as she didn't want Brawly (or the aide for that matter) to watch her blush.

"Oh? Cool, you're a trainer," Brawly remarked. "That's why you're here, right? The Gym's the only reason we get tourists."

"Yep!" Lynnie answered, clipping her Pokéballs onto her belt. "I don't know where the Gym is, though…"

"Wow, you really must've just gotten here," Brawly frowned. "I can take you if you want."

Still upset over getting lost in Granite Cave, Lynnie ignored Brawly's first comment and said quickly, "Yeah, great!"

"All right then!" Brawly turned around to grab his surfboard, and beckoned to her over his shoulder. "Let's go."

Lynnie scrambled to keep up with him. Shifting his surfboard to under his left arm, Brawly looked back at her as they left the building.

"So, how far did you come from?" he said casually.

"Violet City," Lynnie responded instinctively.

"Violet City?" Brawly repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's in Johto, right? Why would you…"

"No, I meant Littleroot Town!" Lynnie interrupted.

Brawly dug his bare toes into the sand as they walked. He looked at her incredulously, inadvertently kicking a bit of sand onto her shoes as he shifted his surfboard again.

"Which is it?" he asked.

"Littleroot," Lynnie mumbled. "I _moved_ there from Violet."

"Oh really?" Brawly stopped walking for a moment. "I think I heard that that's where Petalburg's new Gym Leader just moved from. What a coincidence, hey?"

Lynnie laughed nervously. As usual, her big mouth had gotten her into trouble. How could she talk her way out of this one?

"And what did he say his daughter's name was? Leah? Laurie?" Brawly shook his head. "Oh well. I'll probably remember it later."

"Yeah," Lynnie sighed. That had been a bit too close…

Brawly suddenly started walking again, this time a bit faster. He grinned at her over his shoulder.

"Hey, we're almost there!" he called. "Wanna race?"

"Wait, what?"

Lynnie dashed after him. Soon enough, she caught up to Brawly, and winked as she passed him. With the surfboard, Brawly lagged just slightly behind Lynnie's chocolate-induced hyper speed. Lynnie suddenly skidded, sending sand flying around her, and winced as she landed on her knees.

"Hey," Brawly panted, catching up to her. "You… okay?"

"You can't… be serious," Lynnie panted. "_That's_ not the gym, is it?"

She was pointing at a small, three-walled wooden shack with a thatched roof. In one side, several surfboards were lying on the sandy floor, and a volleyball net was wrapped up beside them. On the back wall was a wobbly looking shelf holding several baseball bats and various other sports equipment.

Brawly stared at her for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "Of course not! It's the building _behind_ that! You really are clueless, aren't you?"

Lynnie slowly looked past the shack to see a similar but much larger building. She sighed audibly—how had she missed that? However, Brawly's laughter started to get irritating, and he hastily had to dodge a handful of sand.

"Okay, sorry," he gasped. "This is just… where we keep all of our sports stuff."

"What do you mean, we?" Lynnie blinked.

"Oh…" Brawly slowly went to stack his surfboard on top of the rest, and then turned back to her. "You see, everyone just comes here to get what they need. We all know it'll get back since we all know each other."

"If anyone did that in Violet City, their stuff would be lost and gone forever," Lynnie grumbled.

Brawly grinned. "Well, this ain't Violet. Now, you wanted to challenge the gym, right? Come on!"

He grabbed her hand and led her around to the jagged wooden door of the building, and it opened effortlessly. Lynnie had to blink again, but this time to adjust her eyes. It was pitch black, even with the light coming in from outside.

"You're not scared of the dark, are you?" Brawly's voice echoed. "The light switch is in the back."

"Of course I'm not!" Lynnie retorted defensively.

"All right, just… Hang on to my hand for a minute and don't run into anything."

"Why—"

Lynnie stumbled suddenly and hit her head on a wall. Brawly's sigh floated back to her, and he carefully led her around another corner.

"That's why. This place could use some remodeling, but…"

The lights then clicked on, and Brawly rested his hand on the wall. As Lynnie blinked yet again, Brawly smirked.

"But I really don't have the money for it," he finished.

Lynnie slowly looked around the large room they were now in. The floor was asphalt and painted like a basketball court, complete with a set of hoops at both sides and a scoreboard on the back wall. As she squinted at the stadium lights, the full impact of what Brawly had just said finally sank in.

"A jock like you can be a Gym Leader?" she exclaimed, mostly because of the severe contrast between Brawly and Roxanne.

Brawly winked. "And an idiot like you can challenge me. Want to get started?"

"You bet!" Lynnie cried, reaching for her Pokéballs.

"Wait, wait," Brawly shook his head. "Not until you know what's going on! This'll be two Pokémon max. Either KO two or last for twenty minutes, in which case most KOs wins. The scoreboard will keep track. Got it?"

"Got it," Lynnie answered. "I'll start with Skipper!"

Brawly paused as the Mudkip appeared next to Lynnie. Then, grinning, he pulled a Pokéball from his pocket.

"Machop will be more than enough," he said.

"Mach…" The fighting-type shared Brawly's grin when he released it.

Skipper curiously looked at Lynnie as she waited for an order. Lynnie frowned slightly, concentrating on the Machop.

"Try Tackle!" Lynnie decided quickly.

"Karate Chop," Brawly replied.

Skipper dashed forward and then jumped towards Machop. It waited patiently, and just when Skipper was about to crash into it, Machop lashed out its fist. Crying out in surprise as Machop struck her chin, Skipper tumbled backwards and skidded across the floor.

Slowly raising herself back up, Skipper ran at Machop again. Machop countered with another Karate Chop, sending Skipper flying once more. Skipper panted as she struggled back to her feet.

"Skipper!" Lynnie called desperately. "You have to stay back! Use Water Gun!"

"Light Screen," Brawly droned.

Skipper managed to fire off the attack, but Machop closed its eyes and raised its hands, forming a thin screen. The screen absorbed most of the attack, leaving a small puddle of the floor. Lowering her head slightly, Skipper started panting again.

"Finish it with Rolling Kick!"

Machop rolled into a ball and launched itself at Skipper. When it reached her, it lashed out its foot suddenly, striking her in the side. Skipper collapsed weakly, sweat dripping off her forehead. The scoreboard then lit up with _Home: 01, Visitor 00_.

"Wha—" Lynnie cried.

"Watch the scoreboard, Lynnie," Brawly muttered, gesturing to the blinking _14.5 minutes_.

"Aw, come on," she grumbled, and knelt next to Skipper. "Nice try, Skipper."

"Mud…" she responded as Lynnie withdrew her.

Lynnie stood back up, reaching back to her Pokéballs. "Come on, Oakley!"

"Seed?" Oakley asked blankly as she was released.

Brawly and Machop wore matching smirks again. Oakley simply shifted boredly from foot to foot in response.

"Karate Chop again, Machop!" Brawly called.

"Harden!" Lynnie grinned.

Machop dove towards Oakley, raising its fist. Seconds before the impact, Oakley leaned forward and glowed, starting from her stem. As its fist hit her hardened shell, Machop stumbled backwards in shock. Its eyes widened as Oakley continued to glow, and Lynnie blinked as the Seedot shuddered slightly.

A few moments later, the glow faded, and suffice to say Oakley stood about a foot taller than she had before. Her stem had sprouted a leaf, and… she now had arms and legs.

"Nuz… leaf," she said mildly, experimentally trying her arms.

"Mach…" Machop narrowed its eyes, covered its mouth, and burst into a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?" Lynnie demanded.

"Don't you know your type advantages?" Brawly answered. "Use Submission!"

"Hey, of course I—I mean—wait, Oakley, use Pound!" Lynnie flailed.

Machop seized the moment to grab Oakley by the nose and swing her over its shoulder. She crashed into the wall and slid down slowly. The scoreboard buzzed, flashing _10 minutes_. It now read _Home: 02, Visitor: 00_.

"But—I—" Lynnie tried.

"But you _lost_, Lynnie," Brawly filled in, grinning again.

"But I never lost at school!" Lynnie finished, waving her arms.

"Confidence can be a good thing, but you probably went in with too much," Brawly shrugged. "Try again tomorrow after you've had time to think."

"All right," Lynnie sighed, and then turned to Oakley. "Sorry, that sucked, didn't it?"

"Nuz?" she blinked.

"Come on, it did. My fault," Lynnie smiled, recalling her. Then she turned to Brawly. "You better watch it tomorrow!"

"Yeah, right," Brawly winked. "Here, I'll leave the light on for you."

"Hey! I said I wasn't scared!" Lynnie protested.

Nevertheless, Lynnie scampered as fast as she could out of the gym. Brawly thankfully stayed true to his word, and Lynnie unconsciously wiped the sweat off her forehead as she went back to the Pokémon Center.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Vs Meditite!

_Author's Note:_ Meh. A somewhat short chapter, but the postponement is due to school work.

**Chapter Thirteen: Vs Meditite!**

Lynnie sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag in the Pokémon Center. Flipping open her PokéNav, she dialed Crys's number, feeling the need to have someone to complain to.

"Sorry, Lynnie," Crys panted a few minutes later. "Star got in a fight with Stag again, and I had to leave Stag at Professor Elm's, and—hey, did you get a new number or something?"

Lynnie giggled slightly. Crys's Scyther had never gotten along very well with Lynnie's former Pinsir, but it was the older girl's surprise when Star beat up the poor beetle that made it funny. Lynnie was aware that this was a bit morbid of her, but the abrupt shift in thought on Crys's part was unlike her, anyway, which was a good enough laugh in itself.

"Yeah, I have my own phone now, basically," Lynnie confirmed.

"Basically?" Crys repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, I do. But it's part of a PokéNav, which is like a Pokégear," Lynnie replied.

"Right," Crys nodded, twirling a ponytail around her finger. "Well, what's up?"

"Um," Lynnie crossed her eyes. "You see. There was this guy I met today. He was kind of a jock. But he turned out to be a Gym Leader, and, well, he beat me. With just his Machop."

"Could you please not speak in fragments?" Crys sighed.

"That's not the point," Lynnie grumbled.

"All right, all right," Crys yielded. "Have you caught any other Pokémon?"

Lynnie frowned for a moment, about to reply with an insulted _yes_. She then remembered, however, that the last time she'd called Crys, she hadn't mentioned Oakley or Domino.

"Oh, yeah, I have a Nuzleaf and a Shroomish," she answered.

"Well, in this case, I'd venture to say that Shroomish would be a better choice, unless Skipper didn't do so well either," Crys replied thoughtfully.

"But—" Lynnie started to protest.

"Lights out!"

One of the blue-suited Pokémon Center assistants clicked off the lights. The screen of her PokéNav still glowed slightly, and Lynnie sighed.

"I'll tell you later how it goes," Lynnie whispered.

"Bye, Lynnie."

"'Night, Crys."

Lynnie clicked off her PokéNav and crawled into her sleeping bag. Not really feeling a whole lot better, she frowned and fell asleep.

- - -

The next morning, Lynnie opted against breakfast and chewed on another chocolate bar on her way out of the Pokémon Center. She sighed and threw the wrapper away as she passed the door, carrying the remainder of her chocolate in her hand. Breaking off pieces of it as she went, she headed back to the gym. She'd slept in, as usual, so she figured it would be open.

Leaning against the door, Lynnie opened it slowly. It was dark again, and she scowled.

"Brawly!" she called. "I'm back!"

At first, all she heard was her echo. Then the lights clicked on and Brawly's footsteps became audible.

"Just got here a minute ago," he panted. "Now come on to the back."

Brawly then turned and jogged through the maze-like hallways. Lynnie trailed after him, crossing her eyes at the many turns and occasional dead-end she ran into. Several moments later, she managed to arrive in the basketball court.

"All right," she grinned. "Ready to rumble."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Brawly winked. "Give me a better battle this time, all right? I'll start easy on you so you can work your way up to something."

"Hey!" Lynnie protested. "I don't need that—"

"Yes you do," Brawly taunted. "Come on, Meditite!"

Brawly took a Pokéball from his pocket again and released a small, almost human-shaped Pokémon. It calmly sat down and folded its arms and legs. Lynnie frowned slightly, suddenly remembering Roxanne's test question and that Meditite was half psychic-typed.

"Oakley should be able to do this," Lynnie replied. "Meditite doesn't look very strong!"

With that, she released Oakley. The Nuzleaf shrugged at the Meditite, who simply put its hands together as if in prayer. Brawly raised an eyebrow.

"You're willing to risk it again?" he commented.

"I know my secondary types," she answered. "I had to retake the same quiz on them at school a few times."

"Whatever," Brawly said. "Well, then, Meditite, let's teach Lynnie something else… Focus Punch!"

"Medi…" Meditite whispered, raining its fists slightly and closing its eyes. Its fists grew tighter, as if it was building up its strength.

"Oakley, hurry and distract it with Bullet Seed!" Lynnie countered.

Oakley raised her hands in and launched a series of seeds from them at Meditite. Just as it raised its fist to strike, the attack hit, throwing it off balance. It tumbled backwards, eventually landing in a sitting position again.

Brawly frowned. "Meditite, try Mega Kick!"

"Use Pound," Lynnie responded.

Meditite delicately raised itself onto its legs and carefully spun around, lashing its foot out at Oakley. Clenching a fist, Oakley quickly dodged and struck Meditite's knee. The fighting-typed crumpled to its knees.

"All right, now use Faint Attack!" Lynnie called.

Oakley leapt backwards over Meditite. It weakly looked up, expecting Oakley to strike from above. However, Oakley landed just in front of Meditite, and rammed her head into its shoulder, knocking it over.

Brawly's scoreboard buzzed suddenly, and Lynnie blinked; she'd almost forgotten that it was there. The timer read _16.25 minutes_, and the score adjusted to _Home: 00, Visitor: 01_.

"Impressive showing," Brawly smirked, withdrawing Meditite. "Let's see if you keep it up… Go Machop! Low Kick!"

"Wha—" Lynnie started. "Oakley, use Pound!"

Machop dove forward, sweeping its leg under Oakley's feet to trip her before she could attack. Oakley stumbled and fell backwards, landing on her back with a surprised look.

Lynnie frowned. There had to be a way to slow Machop down… But leaving Oakley in could result in her fainting again.

Then she remembered Crys's advice from the night before: _"Well, in this case, I'd venture to say that Shroomish would be a better choice."_

"Oh, duh," Lynnie said suddenly. "Come on back, Oakley, and go, Domino!"

Lynnie withdrew the Nuzleaf, who looked slightly relieved. She then took Domino's Pokéball off of her belt and released the Shroomish. The scoreboard suddenly buzzed again at _15 minutes _and _Home: 01, Visitor: 01_. Lynnie blinked as Brawly burst into laughter.

"Oh, man, I can't believe I didn't tell you before!" he gasped. "Substituting your Pokémon goes as a KO! Even though you were actually being smart… Substituting just shows that you probably would've been KO'd anyway."

"But why?" Lynnie demanded. "That's not fair! Hey, Domino! Get Machop with Stun Spore."

After a moment of shock, Brawly replied, "Hurry up and use Karate Chop!"

Domino puffed himself up slightly as the spores launched out of its head. As Machop reached out towards Domino, its fist came in contact with the drifting spores, and its body began to tense up, starting with its arm. After a moment, it wobbled numbly, trying to stay on its feet.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before," Lynnie giggled. "Domino, use Headbutt and Mega Drain!"

Domino leaned forward and rammed into Machop. As it lost balance and fell with a deadened thump, Domino closed his eyes. Both Pokémon slowly began to glow green.

The scoreboard buzzed for a final time at _11 minutes—Home: 01, Visitor 02_. Brawly sighed as he withdrew Machop, contradicting Lynnie's grin as she recalled Domino.

"Aw, man," Brawly frowned. "You did a _lot_ better than I expected."

"How come you're insulting me?" Lynnie cried. "I won!"

"Yeah, you did," Brawly admitted reluctantly. "Here. You earned the Knuckle Badge."

From a small rack below the scoreboard, Brawly retrieved a glove-shaped badge and made an overhand toss to Lynnie. It landed a few feet away from her, and she grinned again as she picked it up.

"You should have thrown underhand," she called, winking.

Brawly chuckled. "Oh, um, right."

The two stared at each other for a moment, and then simultaneously burst into a fit of laughter.

"Ha… I'll leave the light on for you again," Brawly said.

"I told you I'm not scared!"

And yet, this time Lynnie grinned on her way out. The lights went out just before she reached the door, and Brawly's continued laughter echoed after her as she exited the building.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Vs Whiscash!

_Author's Note_: Ah, a long chapter, the introduction of another important person, and Team Magma! Why Team Magma so soon? Well… It's really because if Stern wants the Scanner, and Team Magma & Team Aqua want the Submarine, then wouldn't they also want the Scanner? And I like Team Magma better than Team Aqua. So there.

And two more things. The Coordinator's Corner is a made-up magazine. So… it's mine! Also, credit goes to RoseDawson35 for coming up with Shuki's name. (insert plug here for her fics)

**Chapter Fourteen: Vs Whiscash!**

Lynnie kicked back in a chair in the Pokémon Center's Cafeteria. She'd just gotten her Pokémon back from the nurse, and had grabbed a sandwich in the cafeteria's short line afterwards. As she slowly chewed on the ham and cheese, a sudden thought came to her.

That thought being that it was pure luck that she'd gotten a ride to Dewford in the first place. How exactly was she going to get to Slateport? She was stuck on the tiny island until further notice.

"Ham and cheese is not a very exciting future," she mumbled as she put down her sandwich, not quite hungry anymore.

"Well, I definitely wouldn't think so."

Lynnie blinked. A tall, brown-haired girl wearing a red jacket and white hat had been passing by her as she'd uttered her previous statement, and was now looking at her with a confused look.

Laughing slightly, Lynnie responded, "Never mind."

"No, really, what did you mean?" the other girl insisted sociably, pulling out the chair next to Lynnie and sitting down.

"I got dropped off here and have no way to get to Slateport!" Lynnie wailed. "And who are you?"

"Oh, sorry!" the girl said sheepishly. "My name's Kagurin. This place is a pretty well-known training place with Granite Cave and all, so I came to practice for a Contest I'm entering soon."

"I'm Lynnie," Lynnie introduced, feeling a bit stupid herself for not realizing how popular Granite Cave had to be. She quickly added, "Hey, I know another person who does Contests! His name is Johnny."

"Do you mean Johnny Alder?" Kagurin's eyes widened. "He's famous! He was in last month's issue of The Coordinator's Corner magazine."

Lynnie buried her head in her arms and started to say something. Kagurin blinked as the younger girl apparently sighed.

"Um, Lynnie? I can't hear you if you're talking into the table," she pointed out.

"Uh, right." Lynnie raised her head slowly. "I meant to say I never realize people are famous until after I meet them."

"Oh. Well," Kagurin lowered her voice into a whisper, "don't worry about it, because he's not really a very good battler. He's just popular because his Volbeat is excellent in appeals. But," Kagurin's voice returned to normal, "neither am I."

"But you said you were training," Lynnie replied, crossing her eyes.

"I was," Kagurin answered, grinning. "I practice appeal combos. My Sableye's great at these and my Mawile's getting better. I mainly practice with my Whiscash. He doesn't really have a lot of experience in combos yet, because my little brother had to help me get him to evolve, and he's not big on combos."

"You have a little brother?" Lynnie questioned excitedly. "Does he look like you? Is he cute?"

Kagurin giggled as she reached into her green hip-slung bag and pulled out a picture. She set it down on the table gingerly.

"Shuki doesn't look anything like me," she responded.

Lynnie blinked at the picture. It looked like it had been taken fairly recently, and it showed Kagurin standing next to a boy with a similar red jacket and white hat with brown hair and eyes identical to Kagurin's. The only difference was Shuki's slightly lighter skin tone.

"What?" Lynnie exclaimed. "You look, like… the same! Do all siblings look alike? I mean, don't look anything like my parents!"

Kagurin laughed again as she put the picture back into her bag. "I don't know. Green eyes probably aren't very common anyway, so don't worry about it. You said you were going to Slateport, though, right? I think Turquoise can carry both of us if we're careful."

"Who's Turquoise?" Lynnie asked.

"My Whiscash," Kagurin responded, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, do you want to go or not?"

"Of course I do! I don't want to eat ham and cheese here forever!" Lynnie cried.

Kagurin laughed as Lynnie followed her out of the Pokémon Center. "All right. Just remember to hang on and don't grab his whiskers."

* * *

"Um, what?"

Lynnie blinked at the shoreline of Dewford a few moments later. Kagurin took a Pokéball off of her bag's strap and enlarged it, releasing a large, blue fish-like Pokémon with long whiskers. She looked back at Lynnie and sighed.

"Yes, Lynnie, we're going to get wet. Turquoise isn't exactly a Wailord."

"Yeah, but—" Lynnie started, and then shook her head. "Oh, never mind."

"Right," Kagurin responded amusedly. "Okay, now, when you hold onto Turquoise, you might not want to grab too close to his stomach, because he gets a bit nauseous if you do that."

"Cash!" Turquoise added emphatically.

"All right," Lynnie replied slowly.

She and Kagurin knelt down next to Turquoise, and he turned away from the beach obligingly. Quickly looking at Kagurin, Lynnie reached out towards the Whiscash and held onto his side, feeling a bit awkward.

"Take us away, Turquoise," Kagurin grinned.

"Cash!"

With that, Turquoise quite literally launched himself forward, and Lynnie nearly let go in surprise. As Turquoise quickly maneuvered his fins, Kagurin giggled.

"You haven't swam with a Pokémon before, have you?"

"No!" Lynnie shouted around Turquoise's splashing.

"Don't worry. It just takes a bit to get used to it."

Turquoise slowed down slightly, and when Lynnie hesitantly looked back over her shoulder, Dewford Town was barely visible behind them. A tiny bit of sand could be seen, and the peak of Granite Cave stood out above it. Lynnie looked forward again and noticed that the water was getting shallower—her feet could almost touch the bottom, and Kagurin was standing.

The Whiscash slowly came to a stop a few feet ahead, resting next to a small reef. Lynnie crossed her eyes as she followed Kagurin's lead, letting go of Turquoise.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"Well, Turquoise can't take us all the way to Slateport in one day," Kagurin replied. "It's not that far from Dewford, but even though Turquoise is fast, he isn't actually very strong. There's a place really close to Dewford that we can rest, though, which is why Turquoise stopped."

She withdrew Turquoise and put his Pokéball back onto her bag strap. Then she waded a few feet ahead and waved to Lynnie over her shoulder.

"We'll have to walk a bit but it's not very far."

Lynnie muttered under her breath about getting even wetter as she followed Kagurin. After a few moments, the outline of a somewhat small, beached ship became visible and the water became even shallower. A few minutes after that, Kagurin stopped near the side of the boat, and they were standing on a small rocky beach.

"Um, how do we get in?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"There's a partial ladder around here… somewhere," Kagurin replied, taking a few more steps, and glancing up at the ship. "Oh, right here. And don't worry, it's totally safe. I slept in here in the way to Dewford."

"You did what?" Lynnie cried as Kagurin swung her legs up to the ladder.

"Hey, I told you not to freak out," Kagurin called nonchalantly.

Soon she'd lifted herself over the rickety railing. Grumbling again, Lynnie jumped slightly to reach the ladder, knees banging on the side of the boat as she pulled herself up. She tumbled over the railing and landed in a slight heap.

Dusting herself off and standing up, she quickly looked around. A large cabin was in the middle of the boat, and the door was swinging slightly off of loose hinges.

Kagurin headed towards the cabin. "I think the room I was in was downstairs. Help me look?"

"All right," Lynnie sighed.

Following the taller girl, Lynnie entered the cabin after her and headed to the stairs in the back. Lynnie frowned as she looked at the worn carpet and broken furniture. The room looked like it had been a dining quarters at one point, but it was rather creepy.

On the way down, Lynnie ignored the splintered railing and simply tried to stay in the middle of the staircase. At the bottom, the hallway branched to the right and left, and Kagurin turned back to her.

"I'll go that way," she said, pointing to the right, "so you go left, and I'll come back if I find it."

"What if I get lost?" Lynnie questioned.

"Well, then you get lost, and you just go into the closest room," Kagurin shrugged. "Don't worry, though, because there aren't a whole lot of ways you can get lost in here unless you try."

Kagurin then turned and started walking, obviously not bothered by the creaky floor. Lynnie blinked and then started walking as well. She peeked into each of the cabins, finding a couple that had sagging couches and one with a weak-looking bed that had torn sheets, but none with enough room for both her and Kagurin.

The last one she looked into was apparently a storage closet. A few run-down shelves lined the walls, and an old desk lay in the middle. A small metal box sat on the desk, and Lynnie curiously went over to it. Everything in the ship so far had been broken anyway, so she figured she couldn't possibly do too much damage to whatever was in the box.

Picking it up, she read the faded letters on the box under her breath: "Scanner—contents for use with certain naval equipment. Can enhance visual equipment in underwater machines."

"Weird," she muttered. "Why would anyone want this?"

"Oh, if they were working on a submarine or anything to that effect," a voice responded smoothly.

Lynnie's eyes widened guiltily, as if she was a little kid put into time-out. Still clutching the box, she turned around slowly, and saw a man and a woman in red and black clothing and hoods, the woman with a Mightyena at her side. The woman carefully tucked a piece of her short blue hair behind her ear as she stepped forward, her Mightyena growling slightly.

"Could you just hand that over, sweetie?" She demanded more than asked, with a forced smile.

"Why?" Lynnie repeated. She didn't really care about it, but the woman annoyed her a bit.

"Courtney, just take it from her," the man frowned. "It shouldn't be that hard. She's so scrawny."

"Hey!" Lynnie shouted. "I am not!" She quickly brushed her hand against Skipper's Pokéball, and the Mudkip appeared at her feet. "Skipper, use Water Gun!"

Skipper obediently shot the attack at Courtney and her Mightyena, both of whom dodged easily. Courtney's smile melted into a smirk.

"Now, girlie," she growled, in a tone that nearly matched her Pokémon's. "This'll be a whole lot easier on both of us if you just give that to me. I don't really want to embarrass you in a fight, now."

"I bet could take you," Lynnie replied, cocking her head confidently.

"Courtney! Just take it already!"

"Tabitha, shut up," Courtney carelessly tossed over her shoulder. "And you—my Mightyena's hungry and cranky, so you really don't want to fight me right now. Honestly, I wouldn't mind, but she's in a bad mood, Tabitha won't leave me alone, and I've got a job to do."

Lynnie blinked. Courtney was weird, and had seemed annoying, but was actually just impatient. Shrugging, Lynnie handed the box to her, the contents rattling slightly.

"I didn't want it anyway," she said.

"Good girl," Courtney grinned, and turned back to Tabitha. "All right, you, let's get off this musty boat. This humidity's bad for my hair."

"All right, all right. Took you long enough," Tabitha grumbled, taking a Pokéball off of his belt. "Withdraw your mutt. Golbat can't carry her and us."

"Right, after we get up there," Courtney responded, throwing a suspicious look back at Lynnie and leading Tabitha out of the room.

"What a weird pair," Lynnie frowned, watching them leave. Sighing, she withdrew Skipper and poked her head out of the room. The two were already gone.

"Lynnie! There you are!"

Kagurin suddenly appeared out of a room a few doors down, out of breath. The brunette girl looked slightly relieved.

"I just found the room I used before—it's got two beds, and it's actually one of the nicer ones in here—and I just saw these two strange people in red."

"You must be seeing things," Lynnie lied. "Because I definitely didn't see anyone."

"Oh well," Kagurin sighed. "Come on. Just be careful because there are some holes in the floor up there."

Lynnie followed Kagurin out of the room. She looked back briefly, but then decided whatever had been in the box couldn't be important, and hurried after Kagurin.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Vs Electrike!

_Author's Note_: This time, a somewhat short chapter, or at least compared to the last one. Next one should be a bit longer, but important stuff happens here.

(By the way, catch the PokéSpecial reference and earn an imaginary cookie.)

**Chapter Fifteen: Vs Electrike!**

"Um, hey, Kagurin?"

Lynnie poked the worn sheets on one of the beds in the ship's "nice" room. A bit of dust came off on her finger, and she crossed her eyes.

True, the bed wasn't sagging, and true, the room's floorboards weren't falling apart. But still, the covers were a bit threadbare.

"Oh? The other one's like that too," Kagurin grinned. "But…" She looked carefully at the green sheets, and then back at Lynnie. "You can see on here where I was sleeping. It's kind of creepy…"

Lynnie sighed as she suddenly sat down on the bed, causing the dust to make a small cloud and the bed to creak slightly. Not exactly her idea of nice, by far, but it was better than sleeping on the floor.

She shrugged off her bag and shoved it under her bed, putting her head down on the thin pillow. It wasn't all that bad, but… Lynnie winced as she rolled over to face Kagurin and the bed creaked again. Across from her, Kagurin didn't bother with the sheets, and simply lay on top of them.

"Tired already?" Kagurin asked. "It's actually kind of fun to stare up at the weird patterns on the ceiling."

Lynnie blinked up at the roof of the cabin, frowning. There _were_ no patterns, she thought sulkily, but maybe that was what made it fun. However, despite the fact that she really didn't care about the scanner, and she'd probably never see those weird red people again, she somehow felt that she'd just done something wrong.

_Nah,_ Lynnie shook it off silently. _I only ever get that feeling before I fail a test. It's nothing._

"Uh, yeah," Lynnie answered. "Good night, Kagurin."

"Good night, Lynnie."

Lynnie flopped back onto her back with another complaint from the bed. Closing her eyes, she eventually fell asleep listening to Kagurin name the patterns she saw in the ceiling after Pokemon.

- - -

"Hey, Lynnie…"

"Five more minutes!"

Odd. Something was relentlessly poking Lynnie's shoulder. Her mother never poked her, nor did the Pokemon Center staff, and Skipper definitely couldn't do so…

Groaning, Lynnie suddenly remembered that she was on the boat, and the poking had to be Kagurin. She slowly opened her eyes, and the brunette girl grinned sheepishly.

"It's almost ten o'clock, Lynnie, so we have to hurry to get to Slateport," she explained.

"Why?" Lynnie yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, you have to be there anyway, right? And I want to make sure I get there in time for the contest, since they don't run very often," Kagurin replied, shrugging.

"Oh, right," Lynnie grumbled, and then her stomach followed up. "Aw, man, I'm starving."

"More incentive, as anything you brought would've gotten ruined yesterday in the water," Kagurin pointed out.

"Don't remind me," Lynnie muttered.

Kagurin giggled as Lynnie followed her out of the cabin. Gingerly avoiding the weak spots in the floor, she and Lynnie carefully headed up the creaky stairs into the old dining hall. Lynnie sighed as they went through the loose door and back onto the deck; she was rather glad to be getting off the ship, as sleeping in it had felt rather odd.

Quickly, Kagurin relocated the ladder, and climbed over the railing and down the side of the boat. Landing in the shallow water, she looked back up as Lynnie climbed down reluctantly. Lynnie tried not to get splinters as she went down, and eventually landed next to Kagurin, albeit on her knees.

"Too late to say, 'Be careful', right?" Kagurin winked.

Lynnie merely grumbled to herself as Kagurin released Turquoise. The Whiscash stretched and yawned slightly before letting the two girls grab onto him. Similarly to the day before, Turquoise rapidly launched himself forward after Kagurin and Lynnie held on.

"Slateport's actually really close," Kagurin said around the splashing. "There's a pretty big beach before it though."

"I'm sick of beaches," Lynnie complained, mostly to herself again as Turquoise had managed to splash Kagurin before she had a chance to respond.

After a few minutes of silence, a few small sandy islands came into view. Not long after, the water began to get shallow again, and Turquoise pulled to a stop at a large shoreline. Kagurin squeezed some of the water out of her jacket as she recalled Turquoise, and grinned over her shoulder to Lynnie.

"I'll show you around Slateport if you want," she shrugged. "I've been a few times. Where is it that you need to go?"

Lynnie frowned, realizing that part had slipped her mind the previous day. "The shipyard, wherever that is."

Kagurin blinked as she started walking. "What do you need to do there?"

"Deliver a… thing," Lynnie replied, striding after her. "And I don't know what that is, either."

"Are you employed by a secret service agency or something?" Kagurin laughed.

"I, uh, don't think so," Lynnie answered, confusedly.

"That's… excellent," Kagurin muttered, and then stopped suddenly as they arrived at a paved path rising from the sand. "Hey, I wonder what's going on up there?"

Lynnie stopped herself just before running into the taller girl and peered around her shoulder. In a paved area not far ahead surrounded by a low brick wall, a group of people was darting around the set up stalls, the majority of which was holding nets. Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"Wow, do chase scenes always happen out here?" she asked.

"No, but… Let's go see what they're doing!" Kagurin exclaimed, jogging over to the market square.

"Hey, what—wait!" Lynnie cried, scrambling after her.

Seconds later, the two girls stopped, out of breath, at the square's entrance. A small, green-and-yellow dog-like Pokémon darted out from under a man's feet, grinning as it grabbed a piece of bread from a food stall. Another man swung a net forward, and the Pokémon darted away again, accidentally crashing into a pottery stall and breaking a vase, crying "Electri—ike!"

Lynnie slowly reached for Skipper's Pokéball, and moment later she released the Mudkip. Kagurin shot Lynnie a confused look, but the younger girl grinned back.

"Skipper, use Mudshot and Whirlpool!" she cried.

Skipper closed her eyes and shot the mud and a spiral of water from her mouth, trapping the Electrike but also sweeping it away from the crowd. The assembled group stopped in surprise, and Lynnie took the opportunity to toss out another Pokéball. The veil around the Electrike receded as the Pokéball caught it, and the ball locked shut without much effort.

After a pause, the crowd began to clap in relief. Lynnie grinned, confidence swelling, and bowed eagerly to the group. Kagurin sighed and shook her head.

However, unnoticed by Lynnie, Skipper staggered slightly. When the Mudkip crashed into her leg, she looked down, surprised. Skipper closed her eyes and panted slightly, and after a brief flash, she then stood up past Lynnie's knee, and her tail fin had split.

"Marshtomp!" she grinned.

"Oh, yeah! Great, Skipper!" Lynnie grinned back.

"Lucky," Kagurin said.

A woman in the group clapped again, and Lynnie's grin grew.

"Yeah, lucky…" She clipped the Electrike's Pokéball onto her belt and waved to the crowd. "Lucky. That's a cool nickname…"

Kagurin sighed again. "Lynnie, some on. Don't you have something to do?" Watching Lynnie, she frowned. "…Oh, I'm being ignored, aren't I?"


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Vs Carvanha!

_Author's Note_: Longer chapter this time… Much more than I originally thought it would be.

**Chapter Sixteen: Vs Carvanha!**

"Lyn-nie!"

"Ah! Not the ear! What are you doing?"

Kagurin sighed as she pulled Lynnie away from the market by the ear. Despite Lynnie's protesting, the brunette girl waited until they were quite a fair distance from the market to answer.

"Now, Lynnie, normally I like large groups of people. But that was a bit too much," Kagurin replied. "Besides, something tells me you just wanted the attention."

"Well, hey," Lynnie sulked. "I heard one lady say that this Electrike has been causing trouble for a couple of days in the market."

Lynnie took Lucky's Pokéball from her belt and tossed it between her hands a couple of times, as if she was proving her point. Kagurin sighed again.

"And now that you have him, what exactly are you going to do with him?" she questioned.

"Um…" Lynnie scratched the back of her head. "Actually, I didn't really think about that…"

"Exactly. Now, I know where the Shipyard is, and I know everyone who works there, so we can get in easily," Kagurin grinned. "Come on."

Lynnie trotted after Kagurin's quick stride, frowning slightly. "What, do you live here?"

"No, but I've been here before. I've been to Dewford a couple of times, and it's on the way from Mauville, so…" Kagurin shrugged. "Anyway, we should be getting… Ah, here."

A large, surprisingly unassuming building near Slateport's shoreline was suddenly looming in front of them. Lynnie crossed her eyes, hoping they didn't have to go all the way up to the top floor—it looked almost as tall as Devon Corporation.

Kagurin twisted the creaky knob and leaned her shoulder into the door to open it. They were in a narrow hallway, and a broad door to their right read "Construction area—authorized personnel only." Near the back of the hallway, a middle-aged balding brunette man sat behind a desk, looking down slightly, but he didn't appear to be sulking.

"Hiya, Dock!" Kagurin waved cheerfully. "Are you playing a handheld again?"

"Oh, Kagurin!" Dock jumped. "It's, uh… been a while since you last visited the shipyard, right?"

"Did you get something new?" Kagurin asked eagerly.

Lynnie blinked as she followed Kagurin over to Dock's desk. Sure, Kagurin said she'd been to Slateport before, but this situation seemed rather strange, even to her. As they arrived at the desk, Lynnie sighed. A small nameplate read "Dock Plank, assistant secretary."

Dock clicked off his video game and grinned. "Yeah, I just can't seem to put it down… I know, shame on me, but Captain Stern's been out for a while…"

"Where to?" Kagurin questioned.

"I think the museum," Dock frowned. "He's been for about an hour, I think. Hey, who's your friend?"

"Lynnie Maple, mister!" Lynnie grinned. "I have a delivery for Captain Stern!"

She rummaged into her bag for a moment, and pulled out the small box Mr. Stone had given her. It rattled slightly as she set it on Dock's desk. The man looked relieved.

"Great, the captain's been waiting for that!" Dock exclaimed. "Don't tell anyone I told you this, ladies, but I think it's for the sub he's working on."

"Uh, that's short for submarine, right?" Lynnie said sheepishly.

"Yep!" Dock bridged his fingers and rested his chin on his hands. "Now, you might wanna hurry and check the museum before Captain Stern leaves. Once he gets out, he's hard to track down again."

"All right, come on, Lynnie!" Kagurin waved to Dock and added, "See you next time!"

Lynnie hurriedly took the box back from the desk and put it in her bag again as she waved to Dock too, following Kagurin out. Dock smiled as he waved back, and clicked his game back on again.

_Oh boy,_ Lynnie inwardly mumbled. _Didn't those red people on the boat say something about a submarine?_

"What's up, Lynnie? You got quiet all of a sudden."

"Oh, uh, nothing!"

Lynnie's attention snapped back to Kagurin when the older girl called out to her. She scrambled after Kagurin, trying not to get lost…

- - -

"Here! The Oceanic Museum!"

Lynnie blinked. The building was somewhat small for a museum, but it fit the name "Oceanic" pretty well. The outside was painted blue concrete with a darker blue tin roof, and an overhang supported by pale blue pillars with wave designs.

"If we tell the ticket man we're on a field trip, we'll get in free," Kagurin whispered mischievously.

"Works for me," Lynnie shrugged.

"All right!" Kagurin grinned.

The two girls pushed open the somewhat redundant blue door. A man behind a ticket counter in an expected navy blue uniform yawned slightly as they entered.

"Children's tickets?" he asked.

"No, we're on a field trip," Kagurin lied.

"Just you two?" he responded suspiciously.

"Uh… We're meeting someone later," Lynnie added. Hey, it was partially true…

"All right," the ticket man sighed, but he still looked unconvinced. "Enjoy…"

Once they'd gotten out of the man's hearing range, the two girls burst into giggles and gave each other high fives. True, Lynnie had only known Kagurin for a couple of days, but Crys would never have let her get away with something like that.

"So, uh, if I was Captain Stern, where would I be?" Lynnie asked suddenly.

"Last time I was here, they were finishing up a few things on the second floor," Kagurin replied. "So, he'd probably be checking that out… The stairs are there in the back."

She pointed towards the left of the back wall, and the two girls headed for the stairs, which were wide enough for both of them to walk up side by side. A few moments later, they arrived on the second floor landing, among a small group of ship exhibits. Lynnie crossed her eyes as she looked at one of them, realization sinking in.

"Hey, that's the S.S. Anne, right?" she said, pointing to the model. "My friend Crys went on it once, and took a picture."

"Oh, yeah," Kagurin confirmed. "They've got the S.S. Tidal too, but not the S.S. Aqua..."

"That's the next one we're going to put in," a mild voice interjected.

"Hey! Captain Stern!" Kagurin turned around and waved. "Dock said you were here, so Lynnie and I came on down here."

Lynnie peeked around Kagurin's shoulder at a tall auburn-haired man in a white uniform and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses. He smiled slightly in response.

"I was just about to leave, but I suppose I can wait, Kagurin," he replied patiently.

"Yeah, I have something for you from Mr. Stone!" Lynnie interrupted.

She pulled the package out of her bag and set it on the display table next to the S.S. Anne model. A look of recognition settled in Stern's eyes.

"Ah, he told me he'd sent it! Great!"

"Great for us, but not for you."

A pair of men in pirate-like outfits had silently appeared at the top of the staircase. One leaned on the wall, folding his arms, and the other smirked. Stern stepped back slightly in surprise.

"Who are you people?" he demanded, suddenly nervous. "And why do you want—"

"Boss said so," one shrugged. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Fork it over and we won't have to hurt the little girls," the other continued, smirk broadening.

"Hey!" Lynnie protested.

"Lynnie…" Kagurin put her arm in front of Lynnie. "They can't be serious. I mean, just look at them. They don't look professional."

"But I've seen that outfit before! Maybe..." Lynnie folded her hands behind her back for a moment, looking at the ceiling in thought. "Oh yeah! In Petalburg Woods. Team Aqua, I think. You're right though, the guy was kind of a wimp."

"Say what? You're that punk we heard about?" the first Aqua member grunted. "Let's take it to her, and teach her pal a lesson too."

"You—" Stern started.

"Ah, just sit back and watch us, sir," Lynnie responded. "It'll be easy."

"Heh," the second thief laughed dryly. "You say now—come on, Carvanha!"

The duo released a pair of spiky, fish-like Pokémon. Lynnie grinned to Kagurin, and the brunette girl nodded.

"Go, Oakley!" Lynnie called.

"And here's Silver!" Kagurin matched Lynnie's grin.

As the Nuzleaf appeared beside Lynnie, a small yellow Pokémon appeared next to Kagurin. It was vaguely human-shaped and had large purple eyes, and an extra set of black jaws grew out of a horn on its head.

"Maw… Wile!" he said eagerly.

"Carvanha, use Bite," the two grunts shouted simultaneously.

"Bullet Seed, Oakley!" Lynnie responded.

Oakley leaned forward slightly, clenching her fists and shooting a barrage of seeds at one of the Carvanha. It tumbled backwards slightly, but the second one dove towards Oakley. Lynnie started to wince, but Kagurin's pause seemed to have been on purpose…

"Silver, give it an Astonish!"

Silver dashed towards the Carvanha surprisingly quickly, and flipped around in front of it just as it reached Oakley. He opened his second set of jaws and suddenly clamped down on Carvanha's fin. It obviously hadn't been enough to seriously hurt it, but it was more than enough to, well, astonish it.

"Carv!" it cried, struggling to get out of Silver's jaws. The Mawile seemed to grin, and then flung it back a few feet obligingly.

"Grr…" the first thief growled. "That was your fault!"

"How was it my fault?" the second demanded. "You copied off my attack! Carvanha, use Water Pulse!"

"Ugh! Carvanha, use Crunch!"

The second grunt's Carvanha shot a wave of water from its mouth while the first wove around it towards the two other Pokémon. Lynnie crossed her eyes, but then came up with something.

"Wait a second, and then use Nature Power," she called.

"Fake Tears and Bite!" Kagurin added.

Just as the water came towards Oakley, she closed her eyes and raised her hands slightly. The wave seemed to grow as it rebounded back at the Carvanha, sending it crashing to the floor. As the other Carvanha just barely got Silver's arm into its mouth, he burst into loud tears, causing the stunned Pokémon to let go and stare at him in shock. Then he grinned and bit down on it with his back jaws, this time harder.

"That's enough, you fools."

The voice was quiet, but somehow eerie. The two grunts gasped, instantly recalling their weakened Pokémon, no longer apparently interested in battling. Lynnie, despite the confidence at the beginning of the battle, suddenly didn't blame them.

A light pair of footsteps contradicted the somewhat large man that entered the room. Lynnie almost groaned at the tiresome blue uniform, and bandanna he wore over his dark hair made him further blend into the museum's settings. However, his gray eyes were quite chilling.

"You fools," he muttered—or maybe that was how loud his normal voice was. "I should have known better than to let _you two_ slow this up."

His eyes turned to Lynnie and Kagurin, and the settled on Stern. The captain raised his chin, but didn't say anything.

"Hey, guy! What are you doing here, anyway?" Lynnie demanded.

"Quite the confident one, are you?" the man tossed his glance toward Lynnie. "But you're too young to understand what's going on here. We're Team Aqua, and I'm the leader, Archie. We need those parts for a little… project. The sea is a necessary resource, shall we say, and we know a way to… increase it. However, to reach this 'method,' we need to reach the bottom the seafloor itself. Despite this near setback, at least you don't appear to be with those Team Magma fools..."

_Team Magma? Does he mean those red people?_ Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"In other words, you need a submarine," Kagurin clarified, mistaking the confused look on Lynnie's face.

"I guess you're the brains around here," Archie said, smiling mercilessly. "Well, come on, boys. We're finished with these fools."

"Yes, sir!" the two grunts chorused, smirking similarly to Archie as they followed him down the stairs.

"What were those men…" Stern murmured. "Well, thank you very much, Kagurin, and… Lynnie? That was a bit too close."

"Yeah, but this is safe!" Lynnie grinned, taking the package from off the display table. Suddenly, however, something seemed wrong about it. She shook it, and hearing nothing, shook it harder.

"Ah! Wh—Lynnie, what are you—" Stern gasped.

"It rattled before! When I barely even touched it! There was something in it!" Lynnie shook the package over her head. "Where did it go? It was in here earlier! Didn't you hear it, Kagurin?"

"Wait! Just open it and see," Kagurin replied, taking the package from Lynnie. "But yeah, I know what you mean…"

Kagurin slowly opened the lid of the package. Then surprisingly quiet, she closed it and set it back down in front of the mini S.S. Anne.

"Kagurin?" Stern asked softly. "Was it…?"

Lynnie quickly grabbed the box. Opening it, she crossed her eyes again and yelled out in shock.

"It's empty! I swear there was something in it before!"

"I believe you," Stern sighed. "Those two grunts… They must have taken it when Archie distracted us. I'll have to contact Mr. Stone, I suppose. It's not your fault."

"I know…" Lynnie grumbled. "I just don't get it, though…"

- - -

"Aw, come on, Lynnie. Captain Stern was right earlier."

"I never said I thought he was wrong!"

Lynnie argued back at Kagurin as the two girls left the museum. Kagurin sighed, but then brightened back up.

"Hey, you know how I told you I was training for contests before? Well, there's a Contest Hall here in Slateport, and if I saw the date correctly on the ticket counter, we're just in time for the monthly contest!"

"Hm…" Lynnie mumbled. "Well, I guess that could be fun. I could watch."

"No, I meant you could join too! I bet you'd catch on quickly!" Kagurin grinned. "We have to hurry, though, because I'm not sure how long we have until the sign-ups cut off."

"All right!" Lynnie grinned back, and Kagurin winked as she led Lynnie in a dash towards the northern edge of the town…

- - -

"Ah, you girls are just in time! The contest is due to start in thirty-five minutes—are you entering? "

Lynnie and Kagurin panted as they were greeted inside the large red building. A blue-haired woman at a counter smiled as they nodded.

"Here are the registration forms," she said, handing them sheets of paper. "Normally, people don't sign up this late, but technically we let sign ups go until half an hour before…"

Lynnie and Kagurin simply nodded again as if they were listening, hastily scribbling the necessary information onto the forum. Name—age—birthday—hometown—Pokémon—

Lynnie hesitated at the blanks for Pokémon—there was one called "appeal" and one called "battle." Sure, she'd just caught Lucky, but it was worth a shot to enter him in just in the appeals to see what he could do. Skipper could handle the battling part.

She and Kagurin quickly handed in their forms, and the registration woman smiled. "Right hallway, girls, and good luck!"

Lynnie and Kagurin grinned as they headed down the contestant hallway, each confident…


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Vs Kirlia!

_Author's Note_: Ah, the wonders of Fall Break. I may be able to get more done this week with the extra time… Which I suppose could explain why this chapter's pretty long, too.

(By the way, Archie repeatedly saying "fool" last chapter was indeed on purpose.)

Anyway. Contests are going to be Anime-style because I hate the game-style ones. Also because the contests were the best parts of the Hoenn anime. So, uh, I believe I've said this before, but just to be sure: The anime is copyrighted to its writers, and they're more than welcome to it.

**Chapter Seventeen: Vs Kirlia!**

"Welcome to the ninth monthly Slateport contest! Thanks for coming, audience, and let's give our contestants a warm welcome!"

Lynnie grinned from the stage as the audience burst into yells and applause. She could get used to this—and the contest hadn't even started yet. Next to her, Kagurin waved obligingly back, as did several of the other contestants.

"First up will be our appeal round! Our lovely contestants here will dazzle us with some stunning attack combinations!" The announcer winked and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "Afterwards, there'll be a ten minute break, during which you, the faithful audience, will decide the top four performances out of these fifteen! Your picks will, after the break, move on to the battling round!"

More cheering followed her long explanation. The group of contestants bowed eagerly, Pokéballs at the ready.

"And now! Let's get started! Contestant number one is Olive Flash and his Pikachu!"

A short, skinny brunette boy released a Pikachu that looked about half his own size. The pair flashed a confident look at the audience, and Olive snapped his fingers.

"Lightning, use Tail Whip and Iron Tail!"

"Pi—ka!"

Lightning tossed its tail to the side and then leapt up into the air. As it tumbled down, its tail seemed to glitter and harden. It then landed standing straight on its tail.

"Give it up for Olive and Lightning!" The announcer roared, and the crowd whistled. "Now, let's introduce the rest of our amazing coordinators…!"

- - -

"Contestant six! Adrian Edgeworth and Kirlia!"

A blonde girl smiled carefully as she brushed her bangs out of her face and released the pale, human-shaped Pokémon. It pirouetted gracefully before coming to a halt in front of her.

"Calm Mind and Psychic, dear," was barely audible from Adrian's mouth.

Kirlia calmly folded its arms and closed its eyes. Moments later, it glowed purple, and psychic waves flashed out from it in star patterns. As the crowd cheered, the rest of the coordinators gulped.

- - -

"Give it up for number nine, Scarlet Smith and Vulpix! …Number eleven, Maya Grey and Shuppet!"

As the appeals continued, Lynnie sighed. She and Kagurin were the last two, naturally—Kagurin at fourteen and Lynnie at fifteen. After the first few had gone, Lynnie has started to get bored; she'd been known at Earl's Academy for her horrible attention span, after all.

"Hey, Lynnie."

Kagurin poked Lynnie's shoulder, and the younger girl looked crossly at her. Sighing, Kagurin looked back at the stage—the coordinators who had already gone or were waiting to go were backstage.

"Well, you're entering your Marshtomp in the appeals, right? Then you could do that thing you did to catch your Electrike…"

"No. I'm using _Lucky_ for the appeals."

"What?" Kagurin's eyes widened slightly. "But you haven't even…"

"Number fourteen, Kagurin Enoki and Sableye!"

Kagurin sighed again. "Well, all right. Here I go."

Kagurin jogged onto the stage, waving to the audience. She stopped in the middle and tossed her Pokéball showily, pivoting as she did so. A purple ghost Pokémon with spiky ears and large, gem-like eyes grinned toothily as she appeared beside Kagurin.

"Diamond, use Shadow Ball and Psychic!"

Diamond raised her hands in front of her face, and after a brief pause, created a large, shadowy ring. She then raised her arms and tossed the shadow over her head. She and the ring glowed momentarily, and then her previous attack formed into a crescent moon.

The audience whistled and clapped loudly, and Lynnie sighed. Maybe Kagurin was right, bust Lynnie wouldn't admit it—and it was too late, anyway. She'd just wing it like she always did.

"Impressive! Thank you, Kagurin! And now, last but not least, here's number fifteen! Lynnie Maple and Electrike!"

Kagurin offered Lynnie a high-five as she entered the stage. Lynnie grinned and bowed slightly, mimicking her father from the interview. She then released Lucky, and the Electrike looked up at the audience impatiently, obviously more than ready to get started.

"All right, Lucky, show 'em a Charge and Spark combo!"

Lucky pawed the stage and lowered his head a bit, and his fur bristled as static grew around him. Then, raising his head, he barked, "Trike!" and let the built-up electricity explode around him in a shower of sparks.

As per usual, the audience burst into applause, and Lynnie bowed again as she withdrew Lucky and returned backstage. She and Kagurin grinned at each other again as the announcer went to the middle of the stage.

"Thank you, audience, and thank you, performers! During this break, if the audience would be so kind as to pick up ballots on your way to the lobby… At the end of intermission, the four finalists will be announced! I'll see you right back here in ten minutes!"

- - -

Lynnie leaned against a vending machine in the lobby, waiting for it to relinquish a bottle of water. Kagurin stood in front of her, seemingly lost in thought, but Lynnie wasn't paying much attention. However, both girls were straining to hear the intercom. It had already been almost ten minutes, and the announcements were due any minute.

"Hey, Lynnie?" Kagurin said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Just asking, but did you even have that planned?"

"Have what planned?"

"You know. Your combo."

Lynnie knelt down to take her long-awaited water bottle and unscrewed the lid as she stood up. Taking a drink for a dramatic pause, she looked back at Kagurin.

"Of course not," she replied. "Was it that obvious? I mean, that thing you did was pretty cool, but…"

"No, it was fine." Kagurin shook her head. "I was just curious."

"Anyway—"

The two girls started walking back towards the backstage area, since it was a bit less crowded. The rest of the anxious coordinators had all been hanging around the vending machines as well, and Lynnie was slightly relieved to be out of the crowd.

However, as they pushed out of the group, Lynnie felt something (more like some_one_) bump into her arm, causing her to choke slightly on her water. She quickly glanced over at Kagurin, who looked just as surprised as she did, and then suspiciously to her left.

"Watch where you're going, shorty."

A tanned girl stood to Lynnie's left, protectively clutching an extremely oversized denim coat to her skinny frame, almost covering her knee-length pink skirt, and seemed to be glaring through her purple sunglasses. Her brown hair was put into a rather elaborate ponytail, but said hair was almost entirely the sole reason she was even taller than Lynnie to begin with. She did, however, _look_ a bit older.

"Who are you calling shorty?" Lynnie demanded. "Were you even in the judging just now?"

"Of course not," the other girl replied haughtily. "_I'm_ the winner of _last month's_ contest. It's just good judgement to hang around, see… I get to watch the techniques of the coordinators here now. This way I'll get a heads up in case I have to fight any of you losers later."

"That's cheating!" Lynnie cried.

"Lynnie…" Kagurin whispered. "She's just trying to make you mad."

"No one cares about cheating, just winning," the other girl smirked. "Heh. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm getting back to the stands before it gets too crowded. I need a good seat for this next part." She turned away, and as she reached the audience's door, she called sarcastically over her shoulder, "Good luck."

"People like that make me mad!" Lynnie cried. "I'm gonna show her—"

"Lynnie," Kagurin repeated, sighing. "You'll play right into her trick if you get mad. She was trying to get you unfocused."

"Huh?" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "How can you tell?"

"Well, you see it on TV shows all the time!" Kagurin grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck.

"…Oh."

"Attention, please!" A voice suddenly blared over the loudspeaker, and Lynnie recognized it as the announcer's. "The ten minute break period is now over!"

The coordinators made an anxious huddle around the PA speaker. Many of them had clasped their hands together in excitement, but a few crossed their arms confidently.

"Our four finalists are… Six, Adrian Edgeworth! Nine, Scarlet Smith! Fourteen, Kagurin Enoki! And fifteen, Lynnie Maple! All other contestants are free to watch the finalist matches! Our order will be… Six versus fifteen, and nine versus fourteen! Then, our two winners will go on to challenge each other for the final victory! Audience, please return to the stands, and our fabulous contestants can return to the backstage area to prepare! I repeat, our finalists are six, nine—"

There was an odd rushing feeling in Lynnie's ears as the audience returned to the stands, chattering in excitement. All that combo practice at school had paid off after all. Kagurin eventually poked Lynnie's arm to get her attention back.

"Um, Lynnie? We've got to get backstage…"

"Right," Lynnie grinned. "And I'm going to show that girl—"

Kagurin sighed, turning her hearing on mute as she dragged Lynnie back to the coordinator's room.

- - -

"All right! Are you ready, audience?"

The announcer's voice rang loud and clear into her microphone, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder again. She gave a wink to the audience as she turned back to the stage.

"Now, for our first battle, we have these two lovely ladies, Adrian Edgeworth and Lynnie Maple!"

Lynnie waved obligingly and grinned confidently as the audience cheered. Adrian, however, merely folded her arms and sighed. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie looked over at the other blonde.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "You could at least get into it, you know!"

"I should be asking you that," Adrian replied coolly. "You should stay calm at all times. Getting too crazy could rub your Pokémon the wrong way, and as a coordinator, you want you partner to be in top shape at all times."

"Yeah… Well…" Lynnie paused.

However, before she could come up with something witty, the announcer waved a hand towards the two girls. Grinning again, Lynnie waited for the woman to start speaking.

"All right! Let's kick this battle off! Miss Edgeworth will lead us with her Kirlia, but Miss Maple will be using a totally different Pokémon—her Marshtomp!"

Adrian calmly released her Kirlia while Lynnie eagerly called out Skipper. The Kirlia's glance towards Skipper was just as cool as Adrian's towards Lynnie, but Skipper merely smiled readily.

"Kirlia, please, start off with Confusion," Adrian commanded quietly.

"Give it a Bide, Skipper," Lynnie replied confidently.

Kirlia slowly put its hands together, and a light glow surrounded it. As it aimed the attack at Skipper, the Marshtomp closed her eyes in preparation. When the attack hit, Skipper raised her arms to shield herself, and after a brief flash, the attack rebounded to hit Kirlia. The Psychic-type Pokémon tumbled backwards, but managed to get up with its usual composure.

"Amazing, audience!" The announcer grinned. "Lynnie has turned the opponent's attack right back at her! Let's see how Adrian counters that!"

"Water Gun, Skipper!" Lynnie called.

"Light Screen," Adrian replied simply.

"Whaaaaaat?" Lynnie groaned.

Skipper immediately fired off the attack, but at the last minute, Kirlia spun around gently and raised its hands, forming a light barrier between itself and the attack. As with Brawly's Machop, Kirlia was left with just a small puddle of water at its feet.

"Lynnie and Adrian seem to be playing a defensive battle! How long will this keep up, folks?" The announcer flashed a blinding smile to the crowd, who roared in response.

Lynnie pinched the bridge of her nose. There had to be some way to get back on the offensive… Then, she suddenly remembered what Kagurin had said before.

_"Then you could do that thing you did to catch your Electrike…"_

"Of course!" Lynnie snapped her fingers. "How could I forget about that? Skipper, give Kirlia the Mud Shot-Whirlpool treatment, stat!"

"Marsh!" Skipper replied.

She quickly fired the whirlpool of water at Kirlia and followed it up the Mud Shot. Adrian's eyes widened when she realized Kirlia was trapped, and Lynnie took advantage of the pause.

"Now get in there and finish it with Waterfall!"

Skipper dove forward into the spiral of mud and water. There was a collective gasp and then silence among the audience as they waited for either Pokémon to emerge. Then, after a moment, there was a faint cry of "Marsh!" and the current water formed into a more solid pillar instead of a cyclone. Skipper was seen on top of the column of water, seeming to rise slightly as she fueled it with a fresh blast of water.

Minutes later, Skipper cocked her head slightly, and the water column began to shrink slightly. Soon, a dripping Kirlia was seen on the stage, and as Skipper tumbled back down and landed on her feet, Kirlia toppled over.

"Well, there you have it, faithful audience! Our two contestants have put up a brilliant show, and Lynnie finished us off with an appeal-worthy battle combo!" the announcer cried.

Lynnie bowed showily to the audience, and, after a moment, Adrian smiled and reluctantly bowed as well. As the audience clapped, Adrian and Lynnie withdrew their Pokémon and shook hands.

"Not bad," Adrian said, looking as if she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"_Not bad_?" Lynnie repeated. "I guess I say _thanks_, to that, right?"

Adrian laughed slightly. "I'm not that confusing, am I?"

"Well… Yes, you are," Lynnie replied sheepishly.

"Sorry," Adrian answered, and she almost smiled again.

"Well, folks! Let's take a five minute break, and then we'll be back for our next round!" The announcer shouted. "Keep up your excellent cheering when we get back, you guys!"

Adrian paused before she walked backstage again. "Take a break with me?"

Lynnie blinked, then answered, "Sure!"

- - -

Lynnie propped her feet up on one of the backstage tables. She and Adrian, as opposed to going to the stands before the next battle, had stayed in the preparation area. Lynnie took a drink of her water and grinned at Adrian.

"So, you and that other girl… Kagurin, I think, seem like you know each other," Adrian commented.

"Yep!" Lynnie replied. "It was actually her idea for me to enter."

"Hm…" Adrian said thoughtfully, cupping her chin in her hand. "Well, you look like you'd be more into battles than contests, truthfully. Even your appeal combo was pretty offense-oriented."

"You guessed all that just by looking?" Lynnie blinked.

Adrian smiled. "I've been watching contests for a while now, even before I wanted to start coordinating, and my best friend's a trainer, so I can tell the difference easily enough. Your appeal was pretty impressive, but at the same time, it didn't really look prepared."

"That's what Kagurin said, too…" Lynnie sulked slightly.

Adrian started to open her mouth, but at that instant, the intercom beeped.

"All right, audience! Give it up for Kagurin Enoki and Mawile, our winners! After another short break, it looks like Kagurin and Lynnie will be facing off in the finals!"

"Huh?" Lynnie flailed for words.

"What? Don't tell me you didn't think she'd make it!" Adrian gasped.

"It's not that!" Lynnie responded. "I… I just didn't think I'd have to fight her, either!"

Adrian sighed. "Well… I'm going to head to the stands." As she stood up, she smiled and waved tentatively. "Good luck…"

"Thanks," Lynnie croaked, sinking down in her chair slightly.

- - -

"All right, ladies and gents! It's time for our final round! Let's welcome Kagurin Enoki and Lynnie Maple!"

Lynnie once again bowed, and Kagurin waved eagerly. As the two turned to face each other, Lynnie gulped slightly. Sure, she was confident that she'd win, but she felt oddly awkward—which hardly ever happened before a battle.

"This battle will be Kagurin's Mawile versus Lynnie's Marshtomp!" The announcer gestured to the two girls to release their Pokémon, and they did. "Are you ready to watch this exciting match?"

Lynnie grinned as the audience sheered in approval. She, of course, knew from the battle earlier that day some of the things Silver could pull off… But then again, Kagurin was probably prepared for Skipper's combo, too.

"Silver, lead off with an Astonish and Bite!" Kagurin called, not seeming very phased.

_I guess that's normal for her, though,_ Lynnie sighed. She paused for a moment, watching Silver dart toward Skipper. She then responded, "Disrupt Silver with Mud Shot, Skipper!"

Skipper shot the attack at Silver, throwing him off balance just as he flipped around for the Bite. Tumbling backwards slightly, Silver pushed himself back up, still bearing his back fangs.

"Skipper, use Tackle!" Lynnie cried. "And then Water Gun!"

"Silver, block with a Bite," Kagurin responded.

Skipper dashed towards Silver. At the last second, she pulled her head back slightly and prepared to use Water Gun. Silver, however, quickly grabbed onto her arm with his jaws, causing her to cry out in surprise.

The audience gave a collective groan at this setback. Moments later, though, Silver went tumbling backwards again, prompting a gasp.

Skipper carefully patted her shoulder and the smiled placidly as Silver struggled back up. Water dripped off the Mawile, and it was then that everyone (including Lynnie) realized that instead of completely stopping Skipper's combo, Silver's attack had only stopped the Tackle. The Marshtomp had apparently used Water Gun after the Bite, and Silver's jaws had been blocking the audience from seeing her pull off the attack.

"All right, Skipper," Lynnie muttered with a matching smile. "Now use Take Down!"

Skipper lowered her head and charged towards Silver. The Steel-type quickly dodged, and Lynnie giggled almost expectantly.

"Catch it with Mud Shot and Whirlpool!"

Kagurin recoiled slightly. "Silver, try to block it with Sandst—"

Before Silver could create a veil of sand in protection, Skipper's Whirlpool formed around him, followed up by the Mudshot. Moments later Silver spiraled out of the top of the vortex and crashed back to the stage. Skipper tossed her head to the side again, and the Whirlpool slowly shrank. She then crouched down slightly, as if expecting Silver to get back up again, but he didn't.

"Would you look at that! Lynnie's utilized her Marshtomp's combo again to win the match!" the announcer exclaimed. "Give it up for our winner, Lynnie Maple!"

Lynnie blinked for a moment, and then bowed several times successively. As she proceeded to wave at the audience, she caught the eye of the girl with the ponytail from before and smirked.

"And look at that confident face," the announcer chirped, mistaking Lynnie's smirk. It wasn't until then that Lynnie realized that the announcer had come up beside her. "It's time to present our winner with the Slateport Contest Ribbon!"

Lynnie's smirk grew as the announcer handed her a small, gold medal with a red ribbon tied in a bow around it. Kagurin smiled slightly as she watched, and then returned backstage.

- - -

"Hey, um, Kagurin?"

"Oh, Lynnie…"

Lynnie grabbed the older girl's arm as she caught up to her in the lobby. Kagurin looked over her shoulder at the shorter girl.

"What are you, um, going to do now?" Lynnie asked.

"Stay for the next contest, I guess," Kagurin replied nonchalantly.

"Oh," Lynnie answered, suddenly feeling stupid. "Well, uh…"

"You're going on to Mauville, right? There's a gym there, and a contest hall not far away," Kagurin explained. "I'll probably see you in a contest again later. Right?"

Lynnie grinned and nodded. "Yeah! See ya, Kagurin!"

"Bye, Lynnie," Kagurin grinned back.

Lynnie hesitated slightly before she left, waving energetically, and Kagurin quietly waved back.


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Vs Grovyle!

_Author's Note_: Heh… Somewhat fun chapter, and Brendan's back. For this chapter, anyway.

**Chapter Eighteen: Vs Grovyle!**

"Goodbye, Slateport. Hello—" 

"Slugma!"

"…Slugma?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes as she looked around. She'd just passed through Slateport's "northern gate," if you could even call it that (simply a makeshift tent bearing a sign that read "north to Route 110"), and had just been interrupted by none other than the aforementioned fire slug. The Slugma blinked at her, and several moments passed with her blinking back.

"Oh, hey, Lynnie! Long time no see! Thanks for finding Slugma for me!"

Suddenly, a familiar male voice called out, and when Lynnie looked up, she saw Brendan a few feet away, out of breath. He grinned sheepishly as he withdrew Slugma.

"Oh, um, hi," Lynnie answered, scratching the back of her neck. "I thought it was kind of odd to see a wild Slugma in a place like this."

"Yeah, well…" Brendan put the Pokéball back in his bag and looked back at Lynnie. "It's not like he's very fast or anything, you know? I was just doing some fieldwork out here and he crept away when I wasn't looking. He likes to do that a lot."

"That's… nice… Hey, wait a minute," Lynnie frowned. "Field work? All the way out here?"

Brendan nodded. "It's not like this is all that far away. Just go north from Oldale and hang a right, and you'll be here in less than an hour."

Lynnie abruptly took her PokéNav off of her bag's strap. Brendan raised an eyebrow as he watched her press a few buttons and then hold her head in her hand and groan.

Sighing, he snuck her PokéNav out of her other hand. The map function was on, and a blinking icon showed their location on Route 110, with Route 103 and Oldale to the east and Slateport to the south.

"You tried to come here from Rustboro, didn't you?" Brendan asked rhetorically as realization sunk in. "That's…"

"Stupid," Lynnie croaked. "Well, I did have a stop in Dewford, but I could've gotten there from here. Look, just don't rub it in, okay?"

Brendan stifled a laugh. "Sorry," he muttered. "Hey, you know, I passed this building earlier. The Trick House, I think. I wanted to check it out, but that's when I realized Slugma was missing. Wanna go look?"

"Tricks? Do we get to _play_ tricks?" Lynnie cried.

"Um… no, we _solve_ the tricks," Brendan responded slowly. "I think that's the point."

"Okay, okay," Lynnie sighed dramatically. "I guess that's almost as good. So where is this—"

- - -

"—Trick… House?"

Brendan had grabbed Lynnie during the middle of her first question and impatiently dragged her along behind him. Now they were standing in front of a somewhat small, dilapidated, whitewashed building with a magenta roof. "Trick House" was splashed over the door in a similar shade of magenta.

Needless to say, Lynnie had finished her question more in shock than curiosity.

"Yeah…" Brendan shifted slightly as he let go of Lynnie's arm. "Well, it can't be dangerous or anything. Don't tell me you're scared of it."

"No!" Lynnie protested. "It just looks weird!"

"Well… duh."

Brendan rolled his eyes as he slowly opened the creaky door. He peered into the dark building, instantly followed by Lynnie. As the two of them stepped in, the lights flashed on. Before they had a chance to blink, there was a loud screech, prompting both of them to flinch and cover their ears.

"Welcome to the Trick House, the most magical building in all of Hoenn!"

"Huh?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes again as she and Brendan looked around. The inside wasn't much better looking than the outside. It was just a jade tiled floor, a few cabinets, and a square coffee table.

However, the source of the screech quickly revealed itself to be a short man yelling into a megaphone. He grumbled as he fumbled with it slightly, and his completely bald head reflected a bit of the room's bright lights.

Brendan and Lynnie blinked at each other for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"Hey! What's wrong with you kids?" the man demanded, apparently having fixed whatever had been wrong with his megaphone. "Have you come to challenge or mock my fabulous trick house?"

"_Your_ Trick House?" Brendan repeated, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Of we haven't some to challenge it. We're here to prove it not-so-tricky."

"Um, Brendan," Lynnie whispered, poking Brendan in the shoulder. "What if the trick actually is tricky?"

"What? This isn't like you at all, Lynnie," Brendan smirked. "Well, old man? What'll you have us do?"

"The maze! The maze!" he shouted, jumping up and down furiously. "I'll make you do the maze! I, the Trick Master, will be waiting for you in the very back! Enter through the scroll, and let your maze challenge commence!"

With that, the Trick Master dropped a smoke bomb. When the smoke had cleared, he was gone, and a scroll was visible in the back wall in place of a door.

"Okay, it's a maze already," Brendan grunted. "Well, let's go see…"

Lynnie quickly ducked under the scroll after Brendan. A wobbly-looking, thin wall boxed them into a small room, with a pair of spindly plants to the front and right.

"Looks like…" Lynnie paused, and Brendan looked at her almost expectantly. "…this guy likes plants!"

"Oy," Brendan muttered. "No, Lynnie, it looks like there are two different ways we can go. Do you have a grass type on you?"

"Yes, why?"

"Good. This means you can go ahead while I check out the right side."

"Oh. Right."

Lynnie and Brendan simultaneously released their Pokémon. Oakley appeared next to Lynnie, while Brendan released…

"Gro—vyle!"

A tall lizard-like Pokémon with blade-like leaves on its wrists crossed its arms next to Brendan. He grinned as Lynnie blinked.

"Treecko evolved," he explained. "Anyway, with both of us looking for the exit, this should be easy. Let's go."

"All right! Oakley!" Lynnie started.

"Grovyle!" Brendan continued.

"Cut down those plants!" They shouted together.

- - -

"Nuz…" 

"Man. This kinda sucks."

"…Leaf."

Lynnie and Oakley had apparently wound up going along the left perimeter of the corridor and were now near the back. They hadn't run into anything yet, which could have been a good thing, but they'd been searching for the exit for who knew how long. Lynnie frowned to herself, unable to shake off the feeling that she was forgetting something, as usual.

"Nuz…"

Oakley bent her head forward and slashed through another plant with her leaf. Lynnie turned herself sideways a bit to fit through the gap, and then hit her hand on something. Something that felt quite a bit like…

"The door has a keypad," Lynnie mumbled.

"Hey, Lynnie?"

"AAAAAHHH!"

Lynnie jumped and Oakley winced. A sigh was head on the other side of the makeshift door next to the Nuzleaf as Lynnie leaned sulkily against the door.

"I think I've got a code input or something," Brendan's muffled voice continued. "You're right across from me, right? Did you just go along the wall, or did you make any extra turns?"

"No," Lynnie grumbled, ignoring the fact that Brendan had just scared her half to death.

"All right. Just hang tight and I'll be there in a few minutes… I think."

Lynnie and Oakley simultaneously groaned as they heard Brendan's retreating footsteps.

- - -

"Lynnie…" 

Lynnie squeezed her eyes tighter shut as someone poked her shoulder. She was bored. And tired. And frustrated at the stupid Trick House.

"Lynnie!"

Wait, Tick House?

Lynnie jumped again as she opened her eyes. Brendan and Grovyle were looking at her exasperatedly while Oakley looked confused.

"It's not taking the code," Brendan frowned. "Did you touch it before? It's gotta be one of those tricks where it only takes the first person's fingerprints or something."

"Um… Let me see that," Lynnie said rather ungraciously as she took the code scroll from Brendan. She hastily entered the string of numbers, and the door slid open.

"Congratulations! You've actually made it!"

"_Actually_?" Lynnie and Brendan demanded.

Grovyle and Oakley exchanged a look as the Trick Master scrambled to his feet. The short man laughed sheepishly.

"Well, er… Let your pride be your reward!" he giggled, taking another smoke bomb from his pocket.

"Hey, wait!" Brendan grabbed the Trick Master by the collar.

"Are you saying there was no point to that?" Lynnie went on.

"Well, er…" the Trick Master repeated. "You just unwittingly took a short cut to Mauville! The back door there will leave you with a mere twenty minute walk to the city!"

"Oh, just go already," Lynnie and Brendan chorused.

"Heh, heh… I hope you enjoyed your stay!"

The Trick Master cackled, and at the drop of the smoke bomb, he was gone again. Brendan sighed.

"So much for that."

He and Lynnie withdrew their Pokémon. Lynnie blinked as Brendan looked back at her.

"You're going on to Mauville, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Lynnie responded.

"Don't do any underage gambling," Brendan winked, folding his arms.

"What?" Lynnie cried.

"There's a casino there." Brendan looked up at the ceiling and crossed his arms thoughtfully. "But…"

"There _is _no game corner age restriction!" Lynnie replied. "Or at least not in Johto."

"Well, whatever." Brendan shrugged as he turned away. "But hey, if you get in trouble, I had nothing to do with it."

"Hey!" Lynnie yelled, but he was already gone. "Man, I'm all alone again… Jerk."

Grumbling, Lynnie took the door in the back of the room, eager to get back outside.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Vs Magneton!

_Author's Note_: Another fun chapter, but this one's a bit shorter…

But, you know, I always did find it odd that a kid age ten/twelve/however-the-heck-old-the-game's-character-is was even allowed into the Game Corner. It's a casino for Mew's sake.

**Chapter Nineteen: Vs Magneton!**

"I bet I could make myself blind looking at that sign."

Lynnie had just arrived at the entrance to Mauville City, Route 110's dirt path almost instantly transforming into a paved road. A plain wooden fence separated the city from the route, but the impressive thing was the neon sign Lynnie was currently amusing herself with. It blinked constantly, alternating colors between pink, yellow, green, and orange, and the large curly lettering read "Welcome to Mauville City."

Admittedly, though, it did look a bit out of place compared to the seeming simplicity of the rest of the city's entrance.

Lynnie sighed as she snapped her eyes away from the glowing sign. Kicking at the pavement a bit as she trudged into the city, she soon realized that the rest of the city was equally bright. The lamps were apparently neon-colored as well (although it would have been more obvious if it was a bit darker), and even the Pokémon Center was fluorescent.

However, one building was easily larger and more neon than the rest of the city's apartments. A purple, glossy building with blinking light bulbs surrounding the windows and door was fairly close to the Pokémon Center. An equally flashy sign and letters over the door read "Mauville Game Corner."

Lynnie grinned as she headed towards the casino. She'd been to Goldenrod's Game Corner two or three times with Crys, and she'd always seemed to have had good luck.

As she slid open the glass door, Lynnie simply hoped that the Mauville casino had the same "twelve and over" age rule that Goldenrod did.

"Roulettes, I take it?"

When Lynnie entered, blinking at the fluorescent lights, a man in a lime green uniform looked at her patronizingly. Lynnie crossed her eyes slightly.

"Huh?" she said.

The man sighed. "Out-of-towner," he muttered. "Anyway, slots are off-limits to anyone under eighteen."

"Aw, snap," Lynnie mumbled. "Well, slots it is I guess."

"All right," the man yawned. "All the way down the hallway and take the door on the left."

"Okay…"

Lynnie quickly stepped over the floor's bright plastic tiling. The pieces of the floor varied between red, green, and yellow, and the overhead light bulbs were similarly colored. Lynnie winced a bit when she got to the end of the hallway, wondering if the Game Corner's flooring company had been absolutely colorblind.

She slid open another glass door, and when she entered the roulette room, Lynnie groaned. The flooring was the same as in the hallway, but the light bulbs were thankfully limited to the normal white.

"Hey, look boys, we've got ourselves a newbie," one of the gamblers in the room chuckled, looking up from his roulette table.

The small group of men around him snickered. Lynnie felt a vein twitch in her forehead, and clenched her fist.

"Hey!" she protested. "I bet I could take on any of you, any day!"

"Hm…" One of the men stroked his goatee thoughtfully, finally shoving his hands into the pockets of his beat-up tan trench coat. "Well, state your price. Let's see if you can match Golden Gordon."

"Golden Gordon?" Lynnie repeated.

A tall, tanned man with sparse black hair and a leather coat smirked toothily at her. "Yeah, missy. I never lose at these here roulettes. How much ya willin' to try me for?"

"How about 500 Poke, double or nothing each round?" Lynnie grinned.

"Do ya even get that much in allowance, sweetie?" Gordon retaliated.

"You're not scared of losing, are you?" Lynnie answered.

"'Course not!" Gordon roared. "It's just, I don't like takin' so much from a little kid. Ya even know how to play?"

"I sure do," Lynnie replied. She slowly walked over to Gordon's roulette table, and clutched the handle of the wheel. After looking at the patterns on the wheel (a Makuhita, Azurill, Skitty, and Wynaut, each on three different colors), her grin grew. "You just spin the wheel, and call a spot, or a group. Here's betting on any Skitty space!"

Lynnie spun the roulette wheel, perhaps with a bit too much force. It spun rapidly for several moments, during which the entire room was silent. Eventually, it slowed down, and when it stopped, the counter was pointing to the yellow-shaded Skitty tile.

"What the…" Gordon gasped.

"Pay up, Buster." Now it was Lynnie's turn to smirk. "Now, this time, I'll bet on either of the other two Skitty tiles…"

- - -

"Thank you, thank you, gentlemen."

Lynnie had successfully guessed on the eight allowed spins of the roulette table. A large pile of bills sat in the corner of the table, and Lynnie bowed a bit showily as she took them and put them in her bag.

"Outsmarted by a kid?" Gordon muttered.

"Nuh-uh!" Lynnie shook her head and waved a finger at him. "The roulette don't take smarts, it's all just luck! This is why I'm good at it."

"Grr…" Gordon growled.

Suddenly, the glass door slid open again. Lynnie turned around confidently, ready to take on another round of roulettes with whoever had just entered.

She then blinked and rubbed her eyes. The man who had just entered was a balding old guy with a rather thick beard and a Magneton floating beside him. He smiled pleasantly as he greeted the assembled group.

"Hello, boys!" he cried jovially. "How's it going today?"

"Oh, Wattson! It's horrible!" One of the gamblers shouted. "Golden Gordon's been cleaned out by this kid!"

"Kid?" Wattson reiterated, his gaze landing on Lynnie. "Well, well! It seems this lass has quite the eye for the roulettes, eh, Magneton?"

"Mag…" it droned mechanically, and Lynnie frowned, unable to tell if it was agreeing or not.

"Now, then, I suppose I shall try her," Wattson proclaimed.

"What?" Gordon cried.

"But Wattson, you haven't actually played the roulettes in years!" another man protested.

"It's all right, Jack," Wattson winked. "I used to play quite a bit when I was younger, and having watched you young guys go at it for these past few weeks has made me feel young myself. Let's go, err…"

"Lynnie," Lynnie mumbled.

"Ah! Lynnie it is, then!" Wattson almost chirped. "All right, Magneton, give me good luck!"

"Ton…" it droned again.

"That is one creepy good luck charm," Lynnie commented under her breath. "Um, anyway, how does 500 Poke, double or nothing, sound?"

"All right with me!" Wattson grinned. "Let's get started!" He spun the roulette wheel. "Yellow Skitty!"

"Yellow Azurill!" Lynnie countered, matching his grin.

The game was on.

- - -

"No. Way."

Lynnie put her hands on the roulette table, leaning forward in disbelief. She'd only won two of the eight spins, and Wattson had just collected the majority of the money Lynnie had managed to earn while challenging Gordon.

Wattson laughed, but not cruelly. "You put up an energetic fight, Lynnie! That should be enough to put you in high spirits. Well, I better be going; my wrists are acting up. I'll see you same time tomorrow, boys!"

The gamblers waved and shouted rambunctiously as Wattson turned to leave. Lynnie simply stared at his back as he turned away, unwilling to believe that she'd lost…


	21. Chapter Twenty: Vs Voltorb!

_Author's Note_: Eh. This is also kinda short, but a bit longer than the last chapter. Although I do like how this one (and the last one) turned out.

**Chapter Twenty: Vs Voltorb!**

Amidst the laughter of the other gamblers, Lynnie quickly took her chance to slip out of the roulette room unnoticed. Sighing, Lynnie clasped her arms over her stomach after she slid open the Game Corner's glass door. Sure, she'd done some embarrassing things before, but losing at the roulettes to some old guy with a Magneton almost took the cake.

"Maybe I'll feel better if I go pound the Gym Leader," Lynnie mumbled to herself. "Or even that Wattson guy himself."

Lynnie stretched as she strode away from the building. Sightseeing could wait. She was itching to battle, and that usually meant she couldn't focus on anything else until she got a battle.

Disregarding the fact that she had trouble focusing sometimes anyway.

Shrugging to herself, Lynnie figured that in a place like Mauville, the Gym couldn't be very hard to find. It had to be just as electric as the Game Corner was, after all.

She proved herself right when she passed the sidewalk in front of a sun-yellow building with an orange, spiky roof. White and yellow Christmas lights were strung around the roof and windows, and an electric-lit lightning bolt over the door read "Mauville Gym."

"Creative," Lynnie said under her breath.

She then reached out to touch the door handle, but a tiny electric shock stung her finger. Frowning, she stuck her thumb and index finger in her mouth for a moment, and then dug into her bag. Pulling out an old rag she found in the bottom, Lynnie quickly wrapped it over the doorknob and opened the door.

Jerking the door slightly, Lynnie blinked. The inside was a lot more plain than she had expected; just plain yellow-and-white linoleum and a few more strands of Christmas lights. What irked her were the four short pillars in the room.

Lynnie shrugged and stepped towards the middle of the room. However, when she tried to go between to of the pillars, another small electric shock went through her arm. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie stepped back, and noticed a small lightning bolt-shaped button on each pillar. She then grinned.

"A guessing game!" she cheered, pressing the button on the pillar closest to her.

She then took the rag back out of her bag and passed it through the pillars—it didn't singe. Her grin grew, and she stepped towards the two pillars separating the middle of the room from the back. This time the rag burnt a little and a spark passed over it when she tested the pillars. Sighing, Lynnie tried the right pillar. Needless to say, she barely had any of her rag left after the shock. Frowning, she pressed the button on the left pillar, and was safe to pass through.

Lynnie slowly stepped towards the back of the room. It was _empty_, and after all that effort? She crossed her eyes.

Then she noticed a small button on the wall near her. Squinting, she read, "Press if Gym Leader is out."

"How random," Lynnie mumbled, but pressed it anyway—and instantly regretted it.

Another shock ran through her arm, and when she jerked away, she swore she say a few errant light bulbs light up. Rubbing her slightly singed arm, Lynnie frowned again as she heard loud laughter.

"That's the last trick, I promise. It's the best one, though! Everyone falls for it."

A small door in the back of the room opened, and an old balding man with a thick beard emerged, giggling. Lynnie felt her eyes widen.

"Hey! You're that Wattson guy from the Game Corner!" she shouted.

"Oh?" Wattson narrowed his eyes slightly, looking confused, and then an enlightened grin spread across his face. "Right, you're Lynnie! Ah, that was a fun match at the roulettes, wasn't it?"

"No, because I lost," Lynnie sulked. "Anyway, I guess it would be all right to fight you while we wait for the Gym Leader. I'd feel a lot better, at least. And what do you mean about tricks?"

Wattson giggled again. "Lynnie, dear, I _am_ the Gym Leader! I set up those tricks on purpose!"

Lynnie blinked. Despite the fact that Wattson didn't really seem professional, he did seem sincere… But then again, Brawly hadn't seemed like a Gym Leader either.

At least this way she could actually do two things at once: beat Wattson _and_ get a badge.

She sighed. "Well… Whatever. That's better, actually."

"Great, great!" Wattson grinned. "How does a three-on-three match sound?"

"Excellent," Lynnie grinned back. _Considering how I already know one of yours…_

"Perfect!" Wattson cheered. "I'll start with Voltorb!"

"Domino, come on," Lynnie replied.

As the Shroomish appeared next to Lynnie, a round, red-and-white Pokémon appeared next to Wattson. Lynnie frowned slightly; she was surprised he wasn't leading off with Magneton, but then again, Grass versus Electric was a good matchup for her anyway.

"Give it a Spark, Voltorb!" Wattson giggled again.

"Stun Spore and Mega Drain!" Lynnie grinned.

Static began to build around Voltorb, and it rolled forward a bit. It gained sparks and momentum as it went, looking ready to almost knock out Domino. However, just before Voltorb would have hit, a few yellow spores floated out of the small opening in Domino's head and landed on the Electric-type.

Voltorb's movement suddenly dulled, and it stopped almost lazily a few inches from Domino. The Shroomish slowly closed his eyes, and both Pokémon began to glow green. Voltorb grew visibly weaker as Domino's draining went on.

"Distract it with a Tackle," Wattson quickly added.

Lynnie's grin broadened. What could Voltorb do in its current state, anyway? "Just keep it up, Domino!"

Voltorb numbly forced itself forward and barely bumped into Domino. Barely phased, Domino continued with the Mega Drain, and Voltorb soon fainted.

Lynnie grinned as Wattson withdrew it and carefully reached towards his two remaining Pokéballs. In a way she almost hoped for Magneton, so she could hurry up and knock it out, but she was also curious as to what his other Pokémon could be.

"Let's try Electrike!" Wattson eventually grinned.

Lynnie blinked as Wattson tossed out his next Pokéball. The Electrike he released was slightly smaller than her own was, but it had the same impatient, confident look in its eyes that Lucky did. Lynnie then smirked, though, realizing that she already knew Electrike's strong points.

"This is another fast one, Domino! Slow it down with Stun Spore again, and then use Headbutt," Lynnie called.

Domino launched more spores at Electrike, and it swayed slightly as its legs began to numb. The Shroomish then leaned forward slightly and rammed into Electrike. However, a bit of static discharged from Electrike's fur as Domino ran into it, causing him to go numb as well. Lynnie groaned.

"All right, Electrike, get it with Bite!"

Electrike managed to grab onto Domino with its teeth and tossed it back a few feet before its neck started numbing. Domino skidded back several feet, landing on his side, but not quite knocked out yet. He tried to get back up, but his feet had obviously gotten too stiff already.

"Domino! Just try a Mega Drain again!" Lynnie tried.

"Thundershock, Electrike," Wattson countered.

Domino closed his eyes and tried to pull off the attack, but Electrike managed to shoot a small amount of electricity at him. Almost sighing, Domino rolled over limply.

"Aw, what?" she frowned, kneeling next to Domino as she withdrew him. "I guess I should use… Skipper!"

Her frown turned into a grin as she released Skipper. Electrike stumbled weakly as Skipper crouched in front of Lynnie.

"Finish it off with Mud Shot," Lynnie said.

Skipper shot the attack at Electrike. The Electric-type looked like it was about to dodge, but it didn't manage to move in time, and the Mud Shot hit it head-on. It collapsed, panting.

Wattson smiled as he withdrew Electrike. "Well, Lynnie, just like at the roulettes, you've managed to keep me on my toes. But, now try my lucky Magneton!"

Lynnie grinned back as the magnet Pokémon appeared next to Wattson. It hummed mechanically, and Skipper leaned forward slightly.

"Swift!"

"Mud Shot!"

Magneton released a series of stars from its U-shaped magnets while Skipper sent the Mud Shot at Magneton. The two attacks collided in midair, causing a bit of smoke on impact and canceling each other out. The two Pokémon tried repeating their respective attacks again a few times, but to the same effect.

Lynnie frowned. The Mud Shot should have been working, since Skipper technically had an advantage. She just needed something to turn back the Swift…

"That's it! Use Bide, Skipper," Lynnie suggested.

Skipper nodded and let Magneton shoot another Swift towards her. When the stars struck, she briefly glowed white, and the energy from the Swift attack rebounded at Magneton. It tumbled through the air and crashed onto the floor.

"All right, now Mud Shot again," Lynnie finished.

Once more, Skipper shot the attack at Magneton. This time, the attack hit dead-on, and Magneton droned weakly.

"Great!" Lynnie grinned, snapping her fingers. Skipper grinned as Lynnie withdrew her.

"Heh," Wattson chuckled as he withdrew Magneton. "I'm not surprised, but… I feel a few years younger from watching you fight! Even if you'd technically lost, I'd still probably have given you this Dynamo Badge."

He pulled a round badge out of his jacket and handed it to Lynnie. Her grin grew as she pinned it onto her bag strap.

"Consider it payback for the roulettes," she winked.

Wattson burst into laughter. "You kids these days are so full of energy. Good luck to you, Lynnie!"

"Thanks!"

Lynnie waved as she left the building. She went a bit quickly, however, just to make sure Wattson didn't turn his electric gates back on.

Lynnie paused outside and muttered to no one in particular, "You know… This is technically the first badge I've gotten on my very first try."

With that, Lynnie confidently strode back to the Pokémon Center, proudly running her fingers over her badge.


	22. Chapter Twenty One: Vs Roselia!

_Author's Note_: A "pre-contest" chapter… I know the contests ended up close together, but that's just kinda how this worked out...

Anyway, Wally's back… And a rather "unpleasant" surprise for Lynnie is here…

**Chapter Twenty One: Vs Roselia!**

Lynnie yawned as she checked her PokéNav's map. After waking up at the Pokémon Center that morning, she'd remembered that Kagurin had mentioned another contest hall near Mauville. She'd asked the nurse, who had pointed her in the direction of Verdanturf Town to the east. Now, Lynnie glanced down at the map function of the PokéNav, and saw that she was almost to Verdanturf.

Grinning, Lynnie increased her walking pace. Normally she would have stopped to look around for Pokémon (or run into one by accident, anyway), but at the moment she was running a rather one-track train of thought.

Soon, the flowery path broadened into a fence-lined sidewalk that led to an equally flowery neighborhood. Lynnie sighed in relief—Verdanturf at last.

She quickly found the Pokémon Center and slid open the glass door. Eagerly perching in one of the spinning stools in front of the snack bar, she watched a few other trainers sit in another corner of the room in a huddle, and then saw a single, short boy near the vending machine a few feet away. She frowned slightly as she paid the man behind the counter for a chocolate bar. The boy at the vending machine looked familiar…

He turned around suddenly as he retrieved a bottle of mineral water, and he paused slightly as he looked at Lynnie. Apparently, he recognized her, too, and then his face lit up.

"Lynnie!" he cried, a bright grin plastered on his pale face. "What's up? Huh? I haven't seen you in forever! Hey! How many Pokémon have you caught?"

"Um, say what?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"Oh…" The boy's expression dampened instantly, and his jade-green eyes drifted down to the linoleum tiling. "Don't you remember? In Petalburg City? You and Norman helped…"

"Right, I remember now!" Lynnie grinned. "You're Wally! Dad lent you his Zigzagoon when you captured that Ralts."

"D-dad?" Wally repeated, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Lynnie smacked her forehead. Of course she hadn't actually called Norman "Dad" in front of Wally… Had she?

"Never mind," Lynnie hastily went on. "Anyway. Where is that Ralts?"

"Right here with me!" Wally replied proudly, taking his Pokéball out of his pocket. As he did so, another fell out after it. "Ah! Um…"

He scrambled to the floor to pick up his two Pokéballs, and Lynnie blinked, confused. He'd caught another? Wally had needed permission to catch his Ralts, for Mew's sake…

"When did you get that one? What is it?" Lynnie asked, practically in one breath, and chewed excitedly on her chocolate bar.

"Oh," Wally whispered. "It's a Roselia. I went out to Mauville with my Uncle once… I got behind him a bit, and I saw this Roselia. It was injured, so Uncle took out this extra Pokéball to carry it in when I asked him, but he looked kind of annoyed. When we got to the Pokémon Center… The nurse gave Roselia back to me!"

By now, Wally was grinning broadly again. Lynnie sighed slightly.

"But why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you still have it?" Lynnie said slowly.

"Right," Wally answered quickly, as if he'd known all along. "Well, Uncle wanted me to put Roselia back when we were going home. He said Ralts was enough. So I tried to let Roselia out, but when it saw Ralts, I think Roselia felt sorry for it, and stayed, 'cuz Ralts was my only Pokémon before, you know."

"Uh huh." Lynnie nodded, albeit a bit in disbelief. Then, she snapped her fingers. "Hey, Wally. There's a Contest Hall around here, right?"

"You coordinate?" Wally's eyes widened.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that," Lynnie replied, scratching the back of her neck. "If one contest counts. But I totally swept it."

_Totally? More like barely._

Lynnie brushed off that nagging little thought as Wally's eyes started to glitter. A bright look spread on his face again.

"Hey, Lynnie!" he rushed. "Our contest hall goes weekly, see, since we don't get many people passing through this area, so we _can't_ wait like Slateport and Fallarbor do. The next one's tomorrow! You're gonna enter, right? Right?"

"Yes…" Lynnie propped her feet up on the chair next to her. "That's what I'm here for!"

"Yay!" Wally cheered. "You should sign up now! Early entries get to appeal sooner! I'll show you the Contest Hall!"

"Whoa, wait, what?"

Lynnie blinked when Wally pulled her out of her seat with an extremely surprising amount of strength, considering he was even shorter than she was. She stumbled slightly, barely managing to throw away her chocolate wrapper as Wally dragged her out of the Pokémon Center. Following him through the neatly-trimmed pathways, Lynnie soon found herself in front of a red, blue-roofed building similar to Slateport's Contest Hall. Verdanturf's was much smaller, though.

"Here! I forgot to tell Uncle exactly where I was going, so I have to hurry home!" Wally laughed excitedly. "See you here tomorrow, Lynnie!"

Lynnie smacked her forehead in disbelief as Wally grinned, waved, and turned away. However, remembering about going last in Slateport's contest, she quickly pushed open the blue door of the building and headed over to the counter. The pink-suited attendant smiled warmly as Lynnie approached.

"Are you here to sign up for the contest tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yep!" Lynnie nodded confidently.

"Great! You're only the fourth person so far, you know… Oh, here's your form, of course."

The woman handed Lynnie an entry slip, and Lynnie's smirk grew as she filled it out. It was almost identical to the forms used in Slateport; name, age, and hometown were all required, and there were the two lines for appeal and battle Pokémon. Again, Lynnie signed in Lucky for the appeals, as she hadn't actually gotten a chance to battle with him yet. Then, after a slight pause, she decided to put Oakley in for the battling section, as she hadn't used the Nuzleaf in a little while and could use some practice with her.

"Okay, I'm done!" Lynnie giggled slightly as she handed back the form.

"All right. The contest starts at noon tomorrow, so don't be late!"

The attendant winked as she set the form into a small box in the corner of her desk. Lynnie grinned as she waved and turned away, but before she got to the door, she stopped in horror.

The door of the contest hall had just opened again, revealing a short, skinny girl in a pink skirt and a similarly colored small top. Her brown hair was done up into a large, spiky ponytail, and her eyes seemed to be surveying the room through her purple sunglasses. Suddenly, she locked eyes with Lynnie, and her mouth puckered sourly, as if she'd just eaten a lemon.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

"You! You're that girl! From Slateport!" Lynnie cried, pointing a finger accusingly.

"Oh, right… Lynnie Maple, I think… Wait."

The girl stepped forward slightly, looking almost patronizing as she seemed to be inspecting Lynnie. Lynnie shifted uncomfortably, but glared in an attempt to keep the other girl from thinking she was nervous.

"Lynnie Maple," the brunette girl hissed icily. "You are now my number one rival in love! I won't ever forget what you've done!"

"Hey!" Lynnie waved her arms agitatedly. "What are you talking about? That doesn't have anything to do with contests! And what do you mean about love, anyway?"

"He was right, you really are clueless." Folding her arms, the other girl now looked up at the ceiling, almost looking bored. "But not in a good way, like he said. I don't know why he likes you so much. You're not even cute. Now, I don't have any more time to waste on you. I need to register, and tomorrow… I'll put you out of contests once and for all! And don't you dare forget my name, because I'll only say it this once! I'm Lydia Beech, and I'm going to win!"

Pushing past Lynnie, Lydia stormed over to the counter. Rubbing her shoulder, Lynnie scowled and stuck her tongue out at Lydia's back, earning a giggle from the attendant. As Lydia peeked furiously over her shoulder, Lynnie merely waved, wearing an extremely painful, forced smile, and then turned to leave the building.

She scowled again the instant she was outside. Shaking her head, a few dozen questions suddenly went through her mind.

What the heck was Lydia's deal, anyway? More importantly, who was this "he" she was talking about? Lynnie had really only made two guy friends since moving to Hoenn—Brendan and the ever-odd Johnny.

Pondering this fact, Lynnie figured there was no way there could be a connection between Brendan and Lydia, as Brendan had never mentioned contests. However, Johnny was (according to Kagurin, anyway) a pretty popular coordinator…

"Nah, he's ahead of us," Lynnie reassured herself aloud. "There's no possibly way Lydia meant Johnny. She must be getting mixed up."

With that, Lynnie whistled to no one in particular and made her way back to the Pokémon Center.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two: Vs Illumise!

_Author's Note_: …And here's the contest.

**Chapter Twenty Two: Vs Illumise!**

Lynnie mentally smacked herself the next morning as she practically flew to the contest hall, eating a ham-and-cheese sandwich with one hand and straightening the back of her bandana with the other. Her PokéNav's clock read ten till twelve—the contest was due to begin in ten minutes, and she wasn't even there yet.

Moments later, she flung open the Contest Hall's door. The building fortunately had a nearly identical layout to Slateport's, and with five minutes to spare, Lynnie arrived back stage, panting. Most of the rest of the coordinators thankfully didn't notice her coming in… Except for one.

"Stylishly late, I see."

Lydia Beech smirked and pushed her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose in an irritatingly Scott-like fashion as Lynnie slouched down into a nearby chair. Lynnie scowled up at Lydia, who merely shrugged, seemingly nonchalant.

"W-well, what's the big deal?" Lynnie huffed. "When did you get here?"

Lydia waved a hand, as if to dismiss the question. "I've been here for fifteen minutes already."

Lynnie glowered, and started to open her mouth again. However, she then crossed her arms and pursed her lips instead, remembering Kagurin's advice not to say anything.

"Hm," Lydia smirked. "Well, just remember. I saw you at Slateport, so I already know how you work. _You_ don't know _anything_ about _me_, though."

With that, Lydia brushed a few loose strands of her hair behind her ears and walked away with a slight swagger. Lynnie crossed her eyes, but sighed. Even if Lydia had a plan, Lynnie would just fake her way through it and hope to mess things up for the other girl. Grinning, Lynnie kicked back in her chair and waited for the announcement to commence the contest…

- - -

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Verdanturf's weekly contest!"

Lynnie looked around the stage as she and the other contestants walked out. Despite the fact that the Verdanturf contests were weekly, there were less people than there had been at Slateport. She then grinned. With less people, she'd be able to stand out more.

"Now, then, we'll start with the appeals! Let me introduce number one as everyone else returns backstage!"

The announcer waved at the cheering crowd as most of the entrants filed obligingly backstage. The first performer was a skinny black-haired boy who smiled modestly at the audience.

"First up!" The announcer twirled her microphone as she spoke. "Marcus Mason and Absol!"

Marcus bowed calmly as he released the dark-type. Absol coolly observed the audience, who gasped at the sight of the rare Pokémon.

"Razor Wind and Slash, Absol," Marcus said.

"Ab…"

Absol lowered its head and slashed the air with the blade on its head, creating a mini tornado. Then it leapt forward, cutting through the whirlwind with its claws and dividing it into three smaller cyclones. It stood lightly between the three cyclones, and the audience burst into cheers.

"And it looks like we're off to a good start!" The announcer winked. "Let's hope the rest of the contestant can keep this up! Now here comes number two, Amanda Hickory, with her Gloom!"

Lynnie simply smiled in anticipation as she watched the other coordinator jog eagerly onto the stage…

- - -

"Number four is up and ready! Here's Lynnie Maple with her Electrike!"

Lynnie walked towards the back stage's dividing curtain as she went to the stage. When she ducked to go out, Lydia sneered at her, but didn't say anything.

Waving showily to the crowd, Lynnie spun Lucky's Pokéball slightly as she released him. The Electrike barked, pawing the stage and looking just as eager as Lynnie. He tossed his head at her almost impatiently, and she grinned at him.

"Let's do a Charge and Spark combo, Lucky!" Lynnie called.

Figuring what worked didn't need to be changed, Lynnie watched as Lucky pulled off the combo. He looked up defiantly at the audience as he built up the static charge around him. Lucky then barked loudly again as he released the electricity in a shower of sparks. Lynnie bowed and Lucky seemed to grin as the audience applauded.

"Great show, Miss Maple! Let's get ready for contestant five, Lydia Beech!"

Lynnie smirked at Lydia when the two passed. Lydia smirked back as she went onto the stage, and Lynnie folded her arms as she watched.

"Miss Beech is entering the appeals with her Clamperl," the announcer explained.

Lydia kissed her Pokéball before releasing her Pokémon. "Dazzle them, Angelica!"

The pearl Pokémon appeared beside Lydia looking almost tired, but Lynnie knew Lydia had to have a plan… Frowning, Lynnie continued to watch.

"Water Pulse and Attract, darling," Lydia ordered, winking.

Angelica slowly sent a spiral-shaped blast of water over her head. Then, the Clamperl puckered her mouth slightly as she released a trail of heart-shaped bubbles into the water. The hearts seemed to glimmer slightly through the veil of water, and the audience whistled and gasped.

"Another amazing appeal!" the announcer cheered. "Let's see if the rest of the entrants can keep this up! Here's number six, Elizabeth Olsen with Magnemite!"

As Lydia returned backstage, she smirked at Lynnie and lowered her sunglasses just enough so that Lynnie could see her leering. Lynnie simply gave a dismissive grin and shrug, sighing overdramatically. Her grin grew as the older girl scowled, and Lynnie contentedly turned back to the stage to watch the performances.

- - -

"Thank you, entry ten! That was Miles Wellington and Delcatty with an absolutely fabulous showing. Now, don't forget to pick up ballots, folks, and we'll be back here with the final four in ten minutes!"

Lynnie grinned and kicked her feet up on one of the tables as she leaned back in her chair, waiting for the rest of the group to leave before she got up. However, Lydia quickly approached her, putting her hands on her hips.

"Lynnie Maple!" she announced. "You one-trick pony! I saw you do that same appeal in Slateport. Can't you do anything else?"

"'Course I can," Lynnie winked, flashing a thumbs-up. "Just wait 'till the battles."

"You…! That is, assuming you go on," Lydia sniffed, clearly annoyed. "Don't get overconfident, Lynnie Maple."

With that, Lydia swung away and left the backstage area. Lynnie sighed and waited for Lydia to go away before getting up.

"Who's getting confident, you meanie?" she pouted. "And calling me by my whole name is creepy."

Sulking, Lynnie slowly headed back out to the lobby through the narrow, curtained coordinator's hallway. She quickly found a candy vending machine, and stuck in a few coins for a pack of bubble gum. Putting a few pieces in her mouth at once, Lynnie chewed the gum as she walked around, slightly bored. At one point, she saw Lydia talking to another coordinator, and quickly swerved away.

Eventually, the loudspeaker beeped, and after a brief screech, the announcer's voice floated into the lobby. The coordinators anxiously gathered around the speaker system.

"All right, folks, we've totaled the votes! Our four finalists are…"

There was a sharp intake of breath as a rustling noise was heard. The announcer seemed to be shuffling through something, and she suddenly made a small triumphant noise.

"Here, here! The finalists are entries four, five, eight, and ten! Those would be Lynnie Maple, Lydia Beech, Rachel Skye, and Miles Wellington! First match is four and ten, then five and…"

Lynnie spun around, catching Lydia's eye and sticking her tongue out. Lydia folded her arms over her chest and gave a slight glare, but remained silent. Giggling, Lynnie hurried back into the backstage area as almost everyone else filed into the stands…

- - -

"We're back, audience, and it's time for our first round battle! It's Lynnie Maple versus Miles Wellington. Show them your support!"

At the announcer's prompting, the audience whistled and clapped. Lynnie grinned and waved, while Miles simply gave a stiff bow.

"Okay! Miles is still going with Delcatty, but Lynnie's using her Nuzleaf! Time to start the battle!"

Lynnie eagerly tossed out Oakley's Pokéball, while Miles slowly reached onto his belt and unclipped his Pokéball. The black-haired boy carefully released Delcatty, who had the same cautious look as its trainer. Oakley merely sighed slightly and raised her arms in front of her chest.

"Lead with a Double Edge, Delcatty," Miles said quietly.

"Get it with Fake Out!" Lynnie countered, popping her bubble gum as she grinned.

Delcatty sniffed imperiously, but still charged towards Oakley. The Nuzleaf hesitated, and quickly jumped out of the way right before Delcatty would have hit her. Stumbling slightly and meowing angrily as it stopped, Delcatty looked around hesitantly. Oakley, however, appeared behind the Normal-type and quickly rammed into it.

"All right, now use Pound!" Lynnie continued.

Oakley just as quickly struck the still-surprised Delcatty with her fist. Hissing, Delcatty almost fell over, but managed to pick itself back up.

"Delcatty," Miles replied softly, "double-slap."

Jumping back towards Oakley, Delcatty spun around and hit Oakley with the heavy end of its tail. Oakley cried out in shock as she stumbled backwards, and Delcatty lashed out with its tail again.

"Quick, Oakley, try a Faint Attack," Lynnie called.

Oakley managed to duck under a third swing of Delcatty's tail and rolled away. As Delcatty looked for her again, it blinked, and Oakley seemed to disappear. The Grass-type quickly reappeared next to Delcatty, grabbed it by the ears, and swung. Delcatty landed several feet away on its side, not yet fainted but sweating slightly as it hissed at Oakley.

"All right, finish it with Extrasensory!" Lynnie grinned.

Oakley calmly raised her fists in front of her and closed her eyes. A faint purple light appeared around her, and Delcatty's eyes widened slightly as it tried to shift out of the way. However, before it managed to move, Oakley released the energy blast towards it, and Delcatty's fur rippled as the attack struck. It mewed weakly and laid its head down, fainted.

Miles sighed and withdrew Delcatty as the audience burst into cheers again. Lynnie and Oakley bowed eagerly, not watching as Miles silently returned backstage.

- - -

Lynnie dropped into one of the backstage chairs as Oakley sat on the table. The pair had just gone to the lobby, and Lynnie had bought a new pack of bubble gum—the break was long over and Lynnie had already gone through her first pack. She probably should have been watching Lydia's battle to know what she was doing, but both she and Oakley had gotten bored after the first few minutes.

The blonde girl sighed as Oakley flopped forward and laid her head in her arms. Miles had, predictably, returned to the stands already, so there wasn't really much to do. However, from the sounds of the crowd, it sounded like the battle was winding down.

Soon enough, the announcer's voice was heard saying, "Congratulations, Lydia! And great job cheering the battlers on, audience! Be back here in five minutes to see the final round between Lynnie and Lydia."

The audience's loud shuffling drifted down to the backstage area, and Lynnie stood up to stretch. A few seconds later, the curtain rustled, and Lydia sauntered in, smirking.

"Well, Lynnie, I see _you're_ being productive."

"Hey, I watched… for a few minutes," Lynnie frowned. "You're using an Illumise."

Lydia shrugged. "Won't do you any good, really. Whatever. I'll beat you either way, and he'll finally realize…"

"Who is this _he_ you keep talking about?" Lynnie interrupted.

Lydia's smirk melted into a frown. "I don't need to tell you that. If you put any amount of thought into it, it would be obvious. You'll find out… eventually."

With that, Lydia turned and delicately walked towards the hallway leading to the lobby. Lynnie looked at Oakley, and they sighed simultaneously.

"Well… Looks like we'll be taking care of business in a few minutes," Lynnie said, a grin starting to form on her face.

"Nuz!" Oakley agreed, and the pair went ahead onto the stage.

- - -

"All right, everyone, it's time for the final battle!"

Lynnie and Lydia stood across from each other on the stage, and cheers rang through the audience. The announcer scanned the group, and then her eyes landed on Lynnie and Lydia. The two girls were glaring at each other, and the announcer gulped slightly as she hurriedly started talking again.

"Well! It looks like they're ready. It'll be Lynnie's Nuzleaf versus Lydia's Illumise!"

Lynnie grinned confidently as she quickly released Oakley. However, Lydia frowned as she slowly released her Illumise.

_Clamperl and Illumise… Why does that combination seem familiar_? Lynnie shook her head as she silently mulled over Lydia's team. _Doesn't someone I know… Oh, never mind…_

"Go ahead and use Nature Power, Oakley!" Lynnie hastily called.

"Silver Wind, Celeste," Lydia replied disdainfully.

Oakley closed her eyes, and then shot a series of stars towards the Bug-type. In response, Celeste glowed a pale silver color, and then a gust of wind blew towards Oakley. The Nuzleaf dodged just in time, but a bit of the attack struck her leg, and she cried in surprise. However, Celeste wasn't as quick, and most of Oakley's attack hit her head-on.

"All right, follow up with Bullet Seed," Lynnie went on.

The Grass-type cupped her hands in front of her face, launching a series of seeds at her opponent. Her attack struck Celeste just as she was starting to get up, and the Illumise tumbled backwards, landing next to Lydia's feet. Lydia grunted as Celeste struggled back to her feet, and the announcer winked to the audience.

"Looks like this battle's off to an offensive start! How will Lydia recover?"

"Easily," Lydia muttered. "Celeste! Use Quick Attack and Tackle."

"No big," Lynnie replied, shrugging. "Just dodge and attack using Faint Attack."

Celeste quickly dashed towards Oakley, preparing to strike, but Oakley disappeared just as quickly. As the Bug-type skidded and turned around, Oakley appeared next to her, pulling her fist back for a strike. Celeste, however, grinned coyly, and tackled Oakley head-on.

A gasp rippled through the crowd as Oakley flew backwards and landed next to Lynnie. The blonde winced as Lydia smirked, but Oakley pulled herself back to her feet. She'd seemed to recover fairly quickly, but she was panting a little, obviously as unprepared for the combo as Lynnie had been.

"Let's regain some ground with Extrasensory," Lynnie said.

"Silver Wind," Lydia droned.

The two Pokémon launched their attacks, and the blasts collided in midair. They repeated their strikes several times, but with little more success. Lynnie and Lydia both glared at each other, but Oakley and Celeste didn't seem to be ready to stop any time soon.

"Come on, Oakley! Let's do something else… Try Faint Attack!"

Oakley suddenly nodded, and after she and Celeste launched another Extrasensory and Silver Wind, she vanished. Celeste looked around the slight smoke cloud from the attack collision, startled when she didn't see Oakley. Quickly, Oakley appeared behind Celeste and rammed into her, sending her skidding.

"C-Celeste! Use Silver Wind again, and make it fast! Like, _now_!" Lydia shouted furiously.

"No way! Pound, Oakley!"

Celeste stumbled as she turned around, and tried to focus enough on Oakley to use Silver Wind yet again. Oakley, however, took advantage of the pause to strike Celeste, and the bug-type crumpled. When Celeste didn't get back up, Oakley folded her arms over her chest and gave a relaxed smile.

"And there's our conclusion! Lynnie's beaten Lydia in a spectacular show, and she's won one of our Verdanturf ribbons."

The announcer almost glided over to Lynnie as Lydia glared and withdrew Celeste. As Lynnie took the ribbon from the announcer, Lydia growled and stormed away. The announcer stepped back slightly to let Lynnie bow, and Lydia shoved Lynnie on her way past. Lynnie quickly turned around the stumbled into a slight jog, and she caught herself before the stage's edge and waved to the crowd one last time…

- - -

"Lynnie! Lynnie!"

Lynnie turned around as she heard her name called. She'd just reentered the lobby, and Wally was jogging over to her with wide eyes.

Lynnie winked. "Well? How'd you like it?"

"Cool!" Wally replied, waving his arms excitedly. "I was in the third row, so I barely had to stand up to see."

"That's—" Lynnie started.

However, before she could insert an appropriate adjective, a tall man cut through the crowd and rested a hand on Wally's shoulder. Lynnie stopped abruptly—the man was almost a complete contrast to Wally. He was lanky and tan, with receding auburn hair, a creased forehead, and dark blue eyes.

"Wally," he said quietly. "I've told you several times not to wander off like that."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Uncle!" Wally cried, really sounding apologetic. "I just wanted to talk to Lynnie."

"Apologize," he replied stiffly. "That girl must be busy…"

"But I know Wally, so it's okay," Lynnie interjected.

"Hm?"

As Wally's uncle gave Lynnie a curious yet patronizing look, an odd feeling rose in her stomach. Sure, it wasn't like she'd never interrupted anyone before—in fact, she'd gotten in trouble at school a few times for it—but somehow, this was the first time she'd actually felt bad about it.

"Well then, go on and say good bye, Wally," the boy's uncle muttered. "Five minutes. I'll be at the front door."

After the man turned to walk away, Wally let out a huge sigh of relief. Lynnie crossed her eyes at the man's retreating back.

"How mean," she said, sticking out her tongue. "Is he always like that?"

"Lynnie…" Wally giggled nervously. "It's okay. Besides… Um, will you promise not to tell Uncle this secret?"

"Oh, I like secrets! Of course I won't! What is it?"

Wally pulled Lynnie a bit closer to him and started to whisper. "You know Rusturf Tunnel, right? It goes from here to Rustboro. Uncle's taking me shopping for stuff for Ralts and Roselia later, and I'm gonna…"

"Sneak through? That is so cool!" Lynnie grinned. "Wow, Wally, I didn't think you of all people would do something like that. Awesome!"

"So you think it's a good idea after all?" Wally asked, somehow managing to look both relieved and uncertain at the same time.

"Well, yeah," Lynnie answered. "Good luck, Wally!"

"Thanks, Lynnie! See you later."

Wally's smile burst into an ear-to-ear grin as he darted out the door. Lynnie laughed as she watched him go, and then left herself. She had a bit of sightseeing left to do before she went back to Mauville for trip north, after all…


	24. Chapter Twenty Three: Vs Numel!

_Author's Note_: In all honesty I kind of hate Numels. Maybe I wouldn't if they could decide whether they wanted to be like Torchic or Slugma… Oh well. All camel prejudice aside, this chapter was kind of fun, even if it turned out really short.

**Chapter Twenty Three: Vs Numel!**

Lynnie groaned inwardly as she arrived in Mauville again. That morning, after checking out of Verdanturf's Pokémon Center, she'd immediately returned to the larger city… and she was starting to regret getting all the things she'd bought the previous day. Her bag's strap was rubbing a bit on her shoulder, and Lynnie was starting to wonder if everything she'd gotten had been necessary.

She sat down on a bench near the northern end of town, grumbling as she set her bag next to her. Okay, maybe she didn't really need the extra stock of snack food, but there wasn't much she could do about that now.

Sighing, Lynnie stood back up and unclipped her Pokégear from her bag's strap. Flipping it open, she selected the map function. Lynnie crossed her eyes at it after a moment. Two cities had flashing marks above Mauville on her PokéNav's screen, Fallarbor and Lavaridge. They didn't look very far apart though, so Lynnie eventually shrugged and snapped shut the device.

Stretching, Lynnie trudged towards the northern gate of Mauville. Like the entrance, it had a brightly lit electrical sign, this one reading "Now leaving Mauville City!" with "Thanks for visiting," in smaller letters under it. Lynnie crossed her eyes again as she ducked under it.

And a few seconds later, she was almost flat on her face, having tripped over one of the sign's cords.

"Well, whoever decided to put _that_ there is a genius," Lynnie grumbled, dusting herself off as she stood up, ignoring the fact that she herself hadn't been paying much attention.

With that complaint and a bit more mumbling, Lynnie crossed her arms over her stomach and kicked at the slowly receding concrete sidewalk…

- - -

"How convenient."

Lynnie muttered to herself sarcastically as she stared at the path in front of her. Not far from Mauville, the winding dirt path had split into two separate trails. One was a steep, rocky path to her left, and the other one to her north looked like it led into a steamy cave.

Taking out her PokéNav again and checking her map feature, Lynnie saw that the northern route came out closer to Fallarbor Town, while the western one led to Lavaridge Town. Sighing, she clipped the device back onto her bag's strap.

"There's probably some way that goes in between them," she grumbled. "So I'll just go the easier way for now."

Lynnie turned towards the cave and ducked through its low entrance. After several more moments of ducking, she was finally able to stand up straight, and instantly crossed her eyes again.

The cave walls looked like they were made out of some kind of red, chalk-like rock, and steam constantly rose from the gray stone floor. Sweat immediately formed on Lynnie's forehead from the heat, and she groaned.

"I'll probably catch on fire if I stay here too long," she announced to no one in particular.

Quickening her step, Lynnie wasn't watching where she was going until she almost tripped on something. Blinking, she looked down at a rather bulky, yellow, camel-like Pokémon with droopy eyes and ears. She quickly took out her Pokédex and pointed it towards the Pokémon.

"Numel, the numb camel Pokémon," the dex droned.

"Num…" The Numel yawned, and then started to glare at Lynnie.

"Hey, what's the deal?" Lynnie demanded of her Pokédex.

"Numels have very small brains, and like Slowpoke, they do not always realize immediately when they are in pain," it beeped.

"Not fabulous," Lynnie muttered, shutting her dex and putting it back in her back. "Well, I guess… Come on, then, Skipper!"

The Marshtomp appeared beside Lynnie, and looked just as confused as her trainer did when the Numel growled loudly. Slowly, several other Numel shuffled around one of the cave's nearby corners, and Lynnie and Skipper both gulped.

"Forget that, just run!" Lynnie shouted.

"Marsh!" Skipper agreed.

With that, the pair instantly dashed away, the Numels trying and almost succeeding in keeping up. When they fell behind, two or three of them in the front of the group angrily blasted an Ember attack towards Skipper and Lynnie. Skipper, however, turned her head slightly and shot a Water Gun at the offending Fire-types. The Numels skidded back a few feet, and Lynnie sighed in relief.

A few moments later, Lynnie and Skipper rounded a corned and saw another low entrance. Lynnie ducked under it again, and stumbled out into a slightly rocky field—but at least it was better than the cave.

"Whew," Lynnie sighed, reaching for Skipper's Pokéball again. "I guess it's a good thing I forgot to recall you earlier, huh? Those Numels were _creepy_."

"Marsh," Skipper nodded, grinning.

Grinning back, Lynnie withdrew Skipper and put the Pokéball back on her belt. Then she took her PokéNav off of her bag's strap again and rechecked the map function. Her grin grew when she noticed that she was only slightly east of Fallarbor Town.

"Great," she said as she re-clipped her PokéNav. "Almost there."

Lynnie whistled to herself, picking up her pace slightly. The closer she got to Fallarbor, after all, would be that much farther from those Numels.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four: Vs Swellow!

_Author's Notes_: Eh. I don't know if going to Fallarbor already is a good or bad thing… The contests are ending up really close together and now it won't be a while until the next one, but then again, it's really a better set up for getting to Lavaridge, now that I think about it… Oh well. Kinda short too…

Oh, and an early Happy Thanksgiving, by the way. Everybody go adopt a Blaziken.

**Chapter Twenty Four: Vs Swellow!**

"This. Is. Gross."

Lynnie grumbled to herself and shook out her foot. She was getting even closer to Fallarbor Town, but by some strange geographical twist, the almost weedy grass between the cave and the town was covered in what looked like… ash. And due to the humidity, said ash was sticking in clumps to her shoes and ankles.

Sighing, Lynnie eventually gave up at dusting off her shoes, realizing after the fifth or sixth time that she'd just get more ash on them anyway. Finally, the grass receded into rocky soil again, and Lynnie grinned in relief. A cobblestone path then formed a few feet later, and after a few moments of jogging, Lynnie arrived in the outskirts of Fallarbor Town.

It wasn't really all that impressive, Lynnie complained silently, observing the small town. The soil was red, rocky, and clay-like, and aside from the obligatory Mart and Pokémon Center, there were only a few buildings, most of which looked like apartments.

_Hey… Didn't Johnny say there was supposed to be a Contest Hall here_? Lynnie frowned, thinking silently as she wandered around. _Sure, Verdanturf was small too, but at least it looked nice…_

Lynnie squinted, looking for the usual blue-roofed red building. As the path curved a bit and wound past another small apartment complex, the Contest Hall came into sight, and although it too was small, Lynnie grinned.

"Hopefully they don't wait forever to have their contests," Lynnie said aloud. "If they had theirs weekly, that would be s—"

"Swell!"

"Why, yes, it would be… Wait, what?"

Lynnie's eyes widened as she turned around. A large Swellow was looping lazily through the air above her, and it cocked its head slightly when it saw her. Almost boredly, it started flying downward.

Expecting the worst, Lynnie covered her face with her arms. However, instead of feeling talons, she heard a voice.

"Swellow! I told you not to do that!"

An out-of-breath girl's voice rang through the air, and a pair of loud footsteps struck the path. Then Lynnie heard a Pokéball opening, and she peeked around her arm to see the Swellow being recalled. Lowering her arms completely, she saw an apologetic blue-haired girl grinning sheepishly at her.

"Sorry about that," she apologized, playing with the hem of her denim vest. "She does that a lot. Sometimes I'm not paying attention, and… Wait, have we met before?"

"Um…" Lynnie blinked. "I… don't think so…"

"Huh," the girl stated, looking thoughtful. "I thought… Hey, I remember! A long time ago. I think I saw you in Oldale Town that one time. With Pokémon Journal?"

"Oh," Lynnie mumbled, suddenly remembering the magazine and the borderline-obsessed fan girl that had shown it to her. "Yeah. Right."

The other girl giggled. "So, you're entering the contest too, right? My name's Caeli."

"I'm Lynnie."

The two girls paused momentarily after that. Lynnie then shrugged and turned towards the Contest Hall again.

"So, you probably filled out a form already."

Caeli grinned and nodded, and jogged to catch up to Lynnie. "Yep! Fallarbor runs contests every other week. Fortunately their next one's tomorrow. I just filled out mine this morning."

Lynnie groaned inwardly. _I knew it_. "Well then, I guess I'll be beating you tomorrow."

"Hey!" Caeli stopped walking. "How can you say that? The only one of my Pokémon you've seen is Swellow!"

Lynnie smirked. While she'd made her last comment without thinking, Caeli seemed to get shaken up pretty easily.

"I have two ribbons already," Lynnie went on. "What about you?"

"Oh," Caeli almost whimpered, looking down. "Only one. I haven't been to Slateport yet… I always miss the deadline there… Except once, and I lost there."

"Well, here's hoping you get past the prelims tomorrow!"

Lynnie winked, crossing her fingers behind her back as she entered the building. She then stopped suddenly before she reached the registration desk.

"I sound like Lydia," Lynnie sulked. She then grinned. "Well, I _do_ have more ribbons than her and Caeli… So there."

Lynnie went back towards the registration desk, and the brown-haired attendant looked up at her boredly.

"Registering?" she said sleepily.

"Of course!" Lynnie grinned again.

"Here…" the attendant yawned, pushing Lynnie a form.

Lynnie filled it out quickly, but slowed down when she reached the lines for the appealing and battling Pokémon. She always used Lucky in appeals, but she hadn't gotten to battle with him much… Shrugging, she decided to put the Electrike down for both categories. He seemed to like appealing, after all, and she really wanted to try battling with him.

She pushed the form back across the desk. "I'm done."

"All-all right," the attendant replied as she stifled another yawn. "Tomorrow at noon…"

Lynnie crossed her eyes as she turned away. "Okay."

With that simple answer, Lynnie strode on out of the building. Caeli was apparently already gone, and Lynnie shrugged. Hopefully Swellow hadn't gotten bored again.

Fortunately, she managed to make it back to the Pokémon Center without encountering the Flying-type. After dropping her Pokémon off with the nurse and signing herself in for the night, Lynnie headed to the cafeteria. She grabbed a ham-and-cheese sandwich from the sandwich line, and quickly sat down at a nearby empty table to unwrap it.

As Lynnie started to chew off a piece, a small group of girls filed over to a table in the back. Most of them looked older than she was, and all of them had Pokéballs at their belts. Lynnie grinned. If that many people entered the contest the next day, things would certainly be fun.

Stretching, Lynnie stood up and ate her sandwich as she returned to the Pokémon Center's lobby. Her Pokémon probably wouldn't be taking very long to heal, after all, and she wanted to get them before heading to the common room.

Lynnie kicked back in one of the lobby's couches, looking at a few of the posters around the room. One of them was an ad for the Fallarbor contests, showing a coordinator with her Sceptile posing with a ribbon.

"Heh," Lynnie laughed. "Tomorrow will be easy."

With that reassured thought, Lynnie grinned and started plotting contest moves in her head…


	26. Chapter Twenty Five: Vs Dustox!

_Author's Note_: Eh. Contest. Fun stuff, I guess, but although this may sound odd Caeli's not one of my favorite minor characters.

By the way, listening to Phoenix Wright music (_Disclaimer_: Yay, Capcom!) while writing this was not a good idea on my part, as I now imagine Lynnie with Larry's theme music from Trials & Tribulations. …And Lydia with Luke Atmey's theme, but I suppose that's better saved for another chapter.

**Chapter Twenty Five: Vs Dustox!**

"No… Five more minutes…" 

Lynnie mumbled sleepily as she rolled over. The insistent poking of her shoulder didn't go away, though…

"Marsh!"

Lynnie blinked. That was right, she'd let Skipper out of her Pokéball the night before and obviously had fallen asleep before recalling her. But it wasn't _that_ late, was it…?

Stretching, Lynnie slowly sat up, and Skipper looked at her anxiously. Reaching for her bag, Lynnie fumbled for her PokéNav and flipped it open. 11:01 was displayed on the screen, and Lynnie shrieked as she jumped up.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" she cried, rolling up the sleeping bag.

"Tomp!" Skipper replied, waving her arms as if to say, _"I tried to!"_

"Oh, never mind," Lynnie mumbled, hurriedly grabbing her bag. She reached for Skipper's Pokéball, and after recalling her, dashed towards the cafeteria.

Tying her bandanna as she waited in line, Lynnie groaned. The Pokémon Center's staff had apparently already changed the typical breakfast fare for sandwiches and salads for lunch. She quickly grabbed a sandwich, and unwrapped its plastic wrapper as she left the Pokémon Center.

Thankfully, the Contest Hall was only a few minutes away from the Pokémon Center, and Lynnie finished off the last bit of her sandwich as she entered. Following the posted signs, she entered the Coordinators' backstage area and sighed as she sank into a chair.

"Hi Lynnie!"

Lynnie jumped and crossed her eyes as Caeli waved at her from across the room. Caeli the quickly muttered something to the boy she'd been talking to and walked over to Lynnie.

"Are you always late to contests?" Caeli asked, although her grin revealed that she'd asked the question curiously rather than condescendingly, as Lydia would have.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Lynnie tapped her chin. "Yeah. I overslept in Verdanturf too, and in Slateport my friend Kagurin and I were the last two to enter."

"I wonder if…" Caeli started, but before she could finish, the announcer's voice floated into the room.

"All right, it's time to start! Let's have all of our coordinators come on stage."

The group shuffled on out to the stage, trying to get in order. Lynnie struggled to remember her number from the form, but eventually recalled a seven and filed in behind a tall red haired girl while Caeli bounced in close to the front.

Lynnie grinned up at the audience when she had the chance, but was slightly disappointed. The stage and crowd were about the same size as they'd been in Verdanturf.

The announcer ran a hand through her short, curly hair, and then grinned and waved towards the assembled coordinators. This prompted several bows, and the audience whistled.

"Here's our group! Let's start out with entry one, Sarah Howard, while everyone else returns backstage!"

A skinny girl with light brown hair smirked as everyone else ducked back under the backstage curtain. Lynnie, along with a few others, peeked out as Sarah released her Pokémon.

"Go, Taillow!" she grinned. "Aerial Ace and Steel Wing!"

Taillow quickly flew into the air and twirled around a few times. As it dove back to stage, its wings stiffened and looked silvery. It drifted back down next to Sarah's feet with its wings still outstretched, and the audience cheered.

"Great job, Sarah!" The announcer winked as Sarah waved and went backstage. "Let's get ready for entry two, Caeli Skye."

Caeli darted onto the stage, grinning and waving excitedly. She released her Pokémon with a slight twirl of her Pokéball.

"Come on, Beautifly!" Caeli called. "Use Sunny Day and Silver Wind!"

The large butterfly Pokémon flapped its wings slowly, and the stage gradually seemed to get brighter. Then Beautifly flapped its wings a bit more quickly and closed its eyes, and a gust of wind with silvery star-and-heart patterns blew by, glinting in the light.

Whistles arose from the crowd as Caeli grinned and Beautifly hovered next to her. Caeli withdrew Beautifly, and the announcer raised an arm as Caeli left the stage.

"We're still keeping up a good show! Here comes number three, Noel Lyons, with Duskull…"

- - -

"…Get ready for number seven, Lynnie Maple and Electrike!"

Lynnie bowed showily before releasing Lucky. The Electrike pawed the stage, and then craned his neck slightly to look back at Lynnie. He was probably expecting the same combo as usual, and Lynnie grinned as she nodded.

"Charge and Spark, Lucky!"

Lucky closed his eyes as his fur stood on end. Moments later, sparks showered around him, and the audience cheered. Lynnie still grinned as she withdrew Lucky and went backstage, but something felt strange… She'd wanted to do something a bit more impressive this time, despite how well the usual combo worked. However, the only other combo she could think of for Lucky, Rain Dance and Thunder, wasn't exactly inside-friendly, and she'd had more than her fair share of those kinds of combos at Earl's Academy.

"Another impressive appeal from Lynnie's Electrike!" the announcer called. "Now, let's give it up for Elizabeth Parson and Pelipper…"

- - -

"And there was number twelve, Mimi Turner with Shedinja! It's time for a break, and don't forget to vote for the top four!"

As the announcer's voice rang through the area, the coordinators ducked into the narrow hallway leading out into the lobby. Most of the audience was hanging around the front desk, filling out ballots, or waiting at the vending machines. Lynnie bought herself a chocolate bar as usual, and then took to wandering around the lobby.

Grinning, Lynnie realized that this was a good way to eavesdrop on the audience members. As she walked around, she picked up several opinions of the coordinators.

"I kind of liked that girl with the Taillow."

"What about that Duskull guy, though?"

"Too creepy. So was that last girl."

"Hey, what did you guys think of that kid with the Pelipper?"

Finishing up her chocolate, Lynnie boredly crumpled up the wrapper and tossed it back and forth between her hands as she wove through the crowd. She eventually wound up back near the front desk, where the announcer and the registration lady were tallying up the last few ballots. After a moment, the announcer slammed the last ballot onto the table and grabbed her microphone.

"All right, everyone!" she called, microphone screeching slightly as everyone gathered around. "Our four fabulous finalists are… Two, Caeli Skye! Three, Noel Lyons! Seven, Lynnie Maple! And last but most certainly not least, eleven, Richard Williams! After we all return, we'll kick things off with a battle between Caeli and Richard."

Lynnie grinned as the crowd entered the staging area. She ducked back through the hallway to the backstage area; it was a much better place to watch than the stands, after all. Besides, she could probably poke some info out of Noel, too, while she was at it.

Noel himself sat down almost resignedly in one of the backstage chairs as the announcer excitedly started off the battle. At the moment, Lynnie wasn't paying too much attention to him, though. Caeli had just released a Dustox, while Richard had released a Tentacruel. Caeli had apparently called for a Psychic, as Dustox proceeded to send a blast of energy at the Water-and-Poison type.

Lynnie then turned around to look at Noel. The tall boy had his eyes closed and had just brushed a piece of his lavender hair out of his face. One hand rested on his Pokéball, and he nodded gradually. Gulping, Lynnie wondered if it was his Duskull's Pokéball, and suddenly agreed with the boy in the lobby who had called Noel creepy. Noel slowly opened his eyes and smiled, and then noticed Lynnie looking at him.

"I always do this… before a contest," he said softly. "Duskull knows what I think without me saying it."

"Oh," Lynnie replied blankly. "Well… That doesn't mean you'll _win_."

"We'll see."

With that, Noel quietly returned to holding Duskull's Pokéball. By now, Lynnie didn't think it was creepy anymore; she just thought it was strange. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie turned back to the stage, deciding to herself that Lucky was better than a Duskull any day.

Lynnie then blinked. Caeli's Dustox had just blasted Richard's Tentacruel with another Psychic, and the jellyfish Pokémon was lying in a heap at its trainer's feet. Sighing, Richard flicked his bangs out of his face and withdrew Tentacruel, and Caeli grinned as she withdrew Dustox.

"Caeli Skye is the winner of this amazing battle! After a five-minute break, we'll see Lynnie and Noel. The winner of their battle will go on to challenge Caeli!"

"Heh." Lynnie looked over her shoulder at Noel, who didn't seem to be paying attention to the announcement. "We'll see, all right…"

- - -

"All right, it's time for the battle between Lynnie Maple and Noel Lyons!"

Lynnie grinned and Noel bowed formally. Then the two turned to each other and reached for their Pokéballs. The announcer waved to them, and Lynnie and Noel simultaneously released Lucky and Duskull.

Lucky tossed his head slightly and looked back at Lynnie, looking almost upset. Lynnie blinked. She hadn't gotten much chance to use Lucky in battle, but… He looked kind of like he didn't _want_ to.

"Think of it like an appeal," Lynnie whispered.

"Elec…" Lucky growled, his fur bristling again.

"Please?"

"Trike!"

Lucky angrily turned back to Duskull and released his Spark. Duskull tumbled back several feet and almost collided into Noel's feet. Noel stumbled slightly, more out of shock, and gritted his teeth as he nodded slightly. Duskull got back up, panting.

"Wow, folks!" the announcer gasped, looking truly shocked. "What a sudden start!"

"Lucky…" Lynnie begged. "Come on. Bite?"

"Trike!"

Lucky barked, but stayed still. Lynnie blinked, and Noel grinned to his Pokémon. Duskull hovered at Noel's shoulder height, and shot a Shadow Ball down towards Lucky.

Lynnie winced. "Lucky, move—"

Lucky stared defiantly at Duskull and let the attack hit. He flopped slightly as he fell onto his side, apparently not having expected the attack to hit that hard. Lucky pulled himself back onto his feet and growled.

"Lucky, use Thundersh—"

Before Lynnie could finish her sentence, Lucky charged towards Duskull and sank his teeth around the bones on the Ghost-type's back. He swung his head and tossed Duskull across the stage, and it crashed at the edge.

The audience blinked, and there was slow, scattered applause. Noel scowled as he withdrew Duskull and quickly returned to the backstage area. Lynnie and the announcer were as surprised as the audience.

"Um…" The announcer blinked. "Well! It looks like Lynnie will be fighting Caeli after the break."

A murmur rose among the audience as they went out into the lobby for the break time, and Lynnie sighed. She knelt down next to Lucky, who was still growling.

"Hey, Lucky? What was that for?" she demanded.

"Elec!" he growled, pawing the stage. "Trike!"

"Well," Lynnie started, sighing. "I guess if you like appeals better, I'll try not to use you in battles too much."

"Trike," Lucky barked, looking considerably better.

"You still have to do one more battle, though," Lynnie replied.

"Elec!" Lucky cried anxiously, and Lynnie grinned as she withdrew him.

- - -

"All right, it's time for the final round between Caeli Skye and Lynnie Maple!"

Caeli and Lynnie stood across from each other as the audience cheered. They released their Pokémon, and Lucky narrowed his eyes at the large Dustox.

"Dustox, use Tackle!" Caeli cried.

"Thundershock!" Lynnie countered.

Dustox dove towards Lucky. The Electrike jumped out of the way and then paused. He looked back at Lynnie for a moment, and then reluctantly shot the attack at Dustox.

The moth Pokémon skidded several more feet before it managed to get back into the air. It quickly floated above Lucky, looking down at him expectantly.

"Try Psybeam," Caeli called.

Dustox's eyes glowed, and it shot out a pair or purple beams at Lucky. The Electrike whined slightly as the attack hit, and he skidded back towards Lynnie. He barked as he got back up.

"Lucky, use Bite!"

Lucky growled and charged towards Dustox. He leapt into the air, preparing to strike, but Dustox dodged at the last moment. Lucky tumbled back down to the stage as Lynnie winced.

"All right, finish with Sludge Bomb," Caeli responded, grinning as usual.

"Lucky, Charge and Spark!"

Dustox hovered directly above Lucky as it shot the attack at him. The Electrike growled loudly, dodging quickly, and his fur crackled with static. Seconds later, the sparks exploded around him and shot up towards Dustox. It tried to dodge a moment too late, and it crumpled to the ground.

Lucky barked proudly as the audience cheered. Lynnie bowed, and Caeli smiled resignedly as she withdrew Dustox.

"Give it up for Lynnie Maple! She and Electrike turned things around this battle," the announcer shouted, waving wildly.

She then turned to Lynnie and pulled a red ribbon out of her pocket. Lynnie held it up and let the lights glint off of its gold center, and the audience applauded. Lucky's excited cried could be heard among the clapping, and even Caeli smiled as Lynnie bowed again.

- - -

Lynnie smiled as she headed for the Contest Hall's front door. Most of the audience was still hanging around, chattering excitedly. Suddenly, Lynnie felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see Caeli.

"Hey, Lynnie?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"Well…" Caeli started. "Um, good job. Earlier, I mean."

Lynnie grinned back. "I think that was because Lucky was excited since I told him he wouldn't have to battle much after this."

Caeli giggled. "That's…" She stooped mid-thought and looked back at Lynnie. "Well… Bye, I guess."

"Bye, Caeli!" Lynnie waved on her way out the door, and Caeli waved back.

Stretching, Lynnie took her PokéNav off of her bag's strap. Checking the map function, she tried to find Lavaridge Town again. Before she spotted it, however, she looked up when she saw a sudden flash of red.

A short, skinny girl that looked a few years older than Lynnie was looking around furtively, clutching her arms over her stomach. She whistled, and another, taller girl in a similar red uniform silently slipped out from behind a nearby apartment building.

Lynnie squinted, and the two girls quickly ducked behind the apartment, their footprints gradually tapering away. Something seemed familiar about the red-and-black skirts and hoods they were wearing...

Suddenly, Lynnie snapped her fingers. It was the same uniform as the one that lady she'd met on the boat she and Kagurin had stayed on had worn.

Smirking, Lynnie ducked behind the apartment as well, keeping her eyes peeled for traces of the two girls. Sure, it might lead nothing, it probably wasn't the best idea anyway, and she really should be getting on to Lavaridge. But Lynnie's interest had been set when she'd seen that the two girls looked like they were sneaking off somewhere, and she'd always liked eavesdropping.

And, as usual, Lynnie simply brushed off the feeling that she didn't know what she was doing…

(_A/N_: I kept mis-typing Noel's last name as Lynos instead of Lyons. That's what I get for typing this chapter too quickly...)


	27. Chapter Twenty Six: Vs Camerupt!

_Author's Note_: Uh… Not really much to say about this chapter, other than it's long, Team Magma rules, and Maxie's here.

**Chapter Twenty Six: Vs Camerupt!**

"Are you sure we're going the right way, Leah?"

"Sure I'm sure, and I'll prove it!"

Lynnie had been secretly sneaking after the two red-clad girls for a while, and despite the fact that she was getting tired, she'd managed to overhear quite a few things. The taller of the two girls was named Jessica while the shorter one was named Leah, and the two of them were headed to some place called Meteor Falls. They'd been walking southwest from Fallarbor Town and were meeting up with the rest of their group, Team Magma, to do something with… well, that part Lynnie hadn't heard.

But that was totally the fault of a passing Seviper that had gotten in between Lynnie and the two other girls. Just when Jessica had been about to remind Leah what they were going to do, the Poison-type snake had crawled in front of Lynnie, stared at her, and hissed slightly. After a few seconds, it apparently had decided that Lynnie wasn't worth it after all and had slithered away again.

That, of course, had left Lynnie scrambling to keep up, yet trying to stay hidden. Now they'd reached a mountainous area with several large outcroppings that were nice to hide behind, but Lynnie was still sulking about the Seviper.

"Hey, Leah? About this meteorite thing…"

"What about it?"

"What's it for, again?"

Lynnie grinned, tiptoeing behind them while trying to avoid a few loose rocks. Now she was getting somewhere…

"I dunno. Tabitha says the ol' boss man wants to use it for something at Mt. Chimney. Tried to ask him exactly what Maxie wanted with it, but he wouldn't say."

"Oh."

"Hey, look, I think we're almost there. Y'see that turn up there? I think Tab said that's the last turn we're supposed to take."

Lynnie ducked behind another boulder as she watched the two girls take the turn. Then she slowly peeked out to make sure they weren't looking back, and followed them around the bend. Jessica had just ducked into a short cave entrance, and Leah was starting to follow her, barely having to duck.

_You know… If I go in there, I bet I'd stand out…_ Lynnie frowned, pausing as she watched Leah enter the cave. _I wonder what Crys would do in a time like this…_

And that was when Lynnie opened her mouth and shouted, "Hey, you!"

- - -

"Okay, maybe that's not _exactly_ what Crys would do."

Lynnie slipped the red, caped hood over her shoulders. It was only a little big on her, so she doubted anyone would notice. She then looked over at the unconscious Leah and grinned sheepishly.

"You know, I've never been good in fights, so I'm glad you passed out after I yelled," Lynnie admitted aloud, laughing to herself.

Still grinning, Lynnie tightened the belt around the skirt slightly as she entered the cave. Jessica was only a few feet ahead of her, and fortunately wasn't paying her all that much attention as she beckoned Lynnie over.

"Leah, get over here!" she whispered. "We're almost there!"

"Coming!" Lynnie whispered back.

The two girls quickly climbed up a rocky slope, and when they arrived at the top, they were slightly out of breath. A few other caped group members were there, and when Lynnie squinted, she recognized one of the people as the man from the boat; his hood had more pronounced horns than the rest of the group members' hoods did. He glared slightly at the two girls, but spoke calmly.

"Well, now that we're all here…" he started.

"Sorry, Tabby," Jessica said casually. "We took a wrong turn somewhere. Leah's fault."

"Is not!" Lynnie protested, realizing several moments later that _technically_ she wasn't the one being insulted.

"Whatever." Tabitha rolled his eyes. "And grunt, don't use such familiarity with a sub-commander. Anyway, Boss says we're just to spread out and start digging until we hit the meteorite. He'll be waiting up on Mt. Chimney for us to deliver it, so hurry up, y'hear?"

"Yes, sir!" the group chorused.

The group split up, grabbing the shovels and trowels leaning against a nearby boulder. Lynnie shivered slightly as she knelt down on the ground with her small trowel. She'd hid her clothing in her bag, which in turn was hidden under the cape. Her knees were getting cold, but as she dug into the rocky dirt of the cave, she eventually got used to the temperature.

Suddenly, there was a loud metallic sound, and one of the male grunts yelled, "I think I've got something!"

"Everyone over there! Now!" Tabitha shouted.

Obediently, the rest of the group scurried over and started digging. Eventually, a medium-sized porous rock was unearthed, and Tabitha smirked.

"All right, it should only take two of you to carry that thing," he said. "Now then, the quickest way to Mt. Chimney is a couple hour walk to the east, and then we can take the cable car up to the top."

"A couple hours?" several grunts whined, and Lynnie was admittedly one of them.

"Every other way from here involves directly scaling the mountain." Tabitha glared. "And I don't think any of you want to do _that_, do you?"

"No, sir!" came the reluctant chorus.

"Good." Tabitha turned back towards the cave entrance and beckoned over his shoulder. "All right, hurry up. We've gotta get there by nightfall."

Groaning, the group slowly filed after Tabitha. Two of the larger grunts hoisted the meteorite between them, and as Lynnie snuck a glance over her shoulder, she was glad that she wasn't one of the ones to have to carry it.

- - -

Lynnie was grumbling to herself several hours later when the group finally reached the foot of Mt. Chimney. They'd passed the cave Lynnie had gone through to get to Fallarbor, but that wasn't what she was complaining about… There was quite possibly a blister on her toe. And it itched.

Lynnie wrinkled her nose as the group stopped. Tabitha turned around and snapped his fingers, and the two grunts carrying the meteorite hastily carried it over to him. Carefully managing to balance it between his hands, he scanned the group silently for a moment.

"All right, I'm taking the lift first," he called. "And to speed things up, the rest of you are coming in trios. It should only take three trips after that. Once you get up there, knock out anyone suspicious. Clear?"

"Clear!"

After a large amount of shuffling, Lynnie ended up in a group with two male grunts. By the time everyone looked back up, the cable car was already halfway up the mountain, and in the fading evening light, Tabitha's silhouette was vaguely visible.

Several minutes of heavy silence passed afterwards. Lynnie fidgeted slightly. The quietness bugged her, and she wanted to burst out and say something.

However, the high-pitched whine of another female grunt broke the silence first. "How long ya think that ol' cable car's gonna take to get back?"

"Aw, stop complaining, Cheyenne," Jessica replied. "I've been up there once. It should be coming back about…"

The cable car could suddenly be seen, albeit distantly, coming down from the top of the mountain. It swayed slightly as it descended, and Tabitha had obviously gotten off, as his shadow was gone.

"…now," Jessica finished proudly.

A few more minutes of silence passed as Jessica quietly gloated over her correct estimate. There was then a sharp click, indicating that the cable car had arrived securely at the landing dock.

"I deserve to go first," Jessica insisted, smirking, as she dragged Cheyenne and another female grunt with her to the cable car. "See you."

Loud grumbling arose from the rest of the grunts as Jessica's trio entered the cable car. Jessica winked as the doors slid closed, and then the car lifted and rose up along the wires. Lynnie sighed and crossed her eyes at the retreating vehicle, hoping that her group wouldn't be the last to go.

- - -

Nearly twenty minutes later, Lynnie's group was nearing the top in the cable car. Fortunately, they'd managed to commandeer the lift before the last group, and Lynnie grinned as she looked out of the large glass windows. A few stars were starting to appear in the sky, and when she looked down, she silently teased the three grunts sulking at the bottom of the mountain.

"Hey, you," the larger of the two males grunted, pointing at Lynnie and adding unnecessarily, "girlie. You're kind of suspicious, aren't you?"

"No," Lynnie answered instinctively. However, she then smiled and went on, "But if I was, it would be too late to do anything. Well, besides throw me out of the cable car, that is."

"Are you stupid?" The skinnier boy paled. "He'll do it!"

The large man narrowed his eyes. "I _would_ if we weren't so close to the top already. Boss'll get you good if you try any funny business, you know."

There was suddenly the distinct click of the car settling into the landing dock. Lynnie slid the door open and jumped out first, leaping a bit more forcefully than necessary and giggling as the vehicle swayed. The skinny boy stumbled out, looking slightly nauseous, while his larger companion struggled to get a good footing but otherwise looked fine.

Frowning, Lynnie lingered for a moment as she watched the large grunt glare suspiciously at her and then saunter away almost uncertainly. She then looked at the younger grunt, who was starting to regain the color in his face.

"He might report…" the boy croaked. "Oh, never mind… I think Tabitha said to… keep watch."

"Okay," Lynnie nodded, pretending to pay attention. "I'll just go look around."

Crossing her eyes, Lynnie looked around the plateau landing. The air was filled with small smoke clouds and a bit of ash, and dust-covered trees could be seen farther down the mountain. Several large boulders were in the distance of the plateau, and when Lynnie strained her ears, she thought she heard voices.

This was getting a bit dramatic for what had started out as some simple eavesdropping, Lynnie thought excitedly as she tiptoed in the direction of the voices. A few other grunts were standing around, so Lynnie quickly slipped around the rocks and pulled the hood a bit closer to her face.

Squinting, Lynnie could make out two figures near a strange, cube-like machine. One of them she recognized as Tabitha, but the other man was unfamiliar. His unruly red hair and red-and-black trench coat fluttered slightly, and the glow of the lava from a nearby crater illuminated his pale, gaunt face. Lynnie scowled and tried to edge closer.

"…I understand, Boss. I'll give you a minute and go check on the grunts."

Tabitha suddenly turned around, and Lynnie gulped. She hurriedly hid behind a jagged outcropping, hoping Tabitha wouldn't notice her. Fortunately, he passed by her, and Lynnie breathed a sigh of relief.

She then tiptoed out from behind the boulder, peeking at the other man. Tabitha had said "Boss," so this had to be Maxie. He had his back turned to her, though, and seemed to still be muttering under his breath.

As Lynnie went closer, she managed to make out the outline of the meteor on Maxie's machine. He pressed a few buttons and lowered a switch, and several knobs lit up in reaction.

"Hey, watcha doing?" Lynnie asked curiously, forgetting for a moment exactly who she was talking to.

Maxie growled, clearly trying to refrain from swearing aloud, as he accidentally shoved another lever and caused the machine to whir and blink off. Glaring over his shoulder at her, he practically hissed.

"What are you doing here? Do you have any idea what you just made me do?" His raspy, paper-dry voice rattled at her. "I'll have to reset…"

"What does the machine do?" Lynnie went on.

"That's beyond the comprehension of a grunt like you. And why aren't you keeping guard?"

"I dunno," Lynnie shrugged. "Probably because I'm not a grunt?"

Lynnie pulled back her hood and smirked. Maxie grimaced for a short moment, but then his face returned to its normal stoic look.

"As grunts are disposable, if you really are off duty then I have every means at hand to punish you," Maxie muttered, gesturing towards the cliff edge. "However, it is nigh impossible for me to keep track of _all_ of my rabble. I don't know how you might have gotten up here, but if you really aren't a grunt, then you know too much, and I should get rid of you anyway."

"You won't push me," Lynnie replied, grinning and folding her arms.

Maxie paused, angrily adjusting a few of the levers. The machine whirred back to life, but beeped obnoxiously, as if it was still having trouble booting up. He then looked back at Lynnie.

"You're right. I won't."

Maxie pulled a single Pokéball from his coat and tossed it over his shoulder carefully. A large, red, vaguely familiar-looking camel-like Pokémon materialized, yawning and blinking at Lynnie.

"I'll give you a personal lesson instead while I get this running properly again. Camerupt, use Flamethrower until you get tired."

"Cam…"

Camerupt slowly opened its mouth and blasted a stream of fire at Lynnie. Gulping, the girl barely managed to duck out of the way in time, and the smoke from Camerupt's attack managed to singe the edge of the uniform's skirt. As the Fire-type started to shoot another attack at Lynnie, she quickly grabbed Skipper's Pokéball, releasing her.

"Water Gun, Skipper!" Lynnie called hastily.

"Marsh!"

Skipper nodded, obediently launching the attack at Camerupt. The two attacks collided in midair, and steam rose as the Pokémon tried to keep their moves up. Finally, the pair panted and gave up, and the Water Gun and Flamethrower dissipated.

Camerupt once again launched a Flamethrower, and Lynnie groaned inwardly at the fact that Maxie was totally ignoring the fight going on behind him. She sighed and decided to take a different approach to Camerupt.

"Try a Mud Shot instead," Lynnie tried.

Skipper crouched slightly as she shot the stream of mud at Camerupt. The camel apparently gave up on its Flamethrower, as the attack slowly reduced into small embers before even reaching Skipper. It the shifted slightly to avoid the attack, and aimed a new Flamethrower directly at Lynnie.

"Aw, man," Lynnie grumbled.

She flung herself to the ground, already complaining about the scrapes she was sure to be getting on her knees and hands. As the attack passed just over her, the heat felt smothering, but Lynnie blinked in surprise moments later.

There was the sound of something being struck and falling onto the ground, followed by a different noise—the noise of something breaking, which Lynnie herself had caused on one too many occasions herself. She rolled over to make sure she was far enough away from Camerupt, and when she rose to her knees, Skipper was gasping for air and Maxie was stone still.

The meteorite lay on the rocky ground, shattered into a huge pile of tiny shards and covered in nothing other than Skipper's own Mud Shot attack.

Maxie's breathing grew audibly quicker, and his shoulders heaved. He suddenly spun around and lashed out at Lynnie, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"You!" he growled. "I'll… k—"

"No you won't," Lynnie interrupted weakly, but still smirking.

"B-boss!"

Tabitha's voice rang through the air, and his footsteps followed a few moments later. Maxie merely tightened his grip around Lynnie's shoulders, clearly struggling not to lose it entirely in front of his sub-commander.

"Boss?" Tabitha's breath quickened as he saw the broken meteorite. "What…"

"This—crazy—brat—" Maxie almost howled.

"You!" Tabitha gasped. "What have you done?"

"I don't know!" Lynnie protested, feeling Maxie's nails digging into her shoulders. "I don't even know what that rock was for!"

"Boss…" Tabitha swallowed. "Don't… We still have _that_…"

"I don't care," Maxie growled. "This _little girl_ ruined my perfect Mt. Chimney plan… All I needed was a fraction of the meteorite's energy… I'll make her…"

"Boss, do you know what'll happen if this leaks?" Tabitha sounded desperate. "_Team Magma fails volcano scheme; passing girl goes missing_? We'll never get the end of it!"

Maxie's breathing slowed, and his iron grip on Lynnie's shoulders loosened slightly. He nodded blindly at Tabitha, as if he still didn't quite comprehend everything the man was saying.

"Yes, we still have _that_," he murmured. "This was a minor part of the plan… yes…"

With that, he leered at Lynnie and roughly flung her away. Lynnie skidded dangerously close to the edge of the cliff as Maxie recalled Camerupt and slowly turned to Tabitha.

"It's time we leave, Tabitha," Maxie said, his voice almost zombie-like. "This was a drawback, a failure, even, but it does not have a major impact on our plan."

"Yes, Boss," Tabitha nodded. "And…"

Maxie turned back to Lynnie as Tabitha gestured towards her. The blind anger that had been his eyes moments ago flashed back for several seconds, but just as quickly disappeared.

"And if we see _her_ again," Maxie growled, "make no mistake. I will not be talked out of it."

The pair then almost vanished into the dark, starless night. Lynnie breathed slowly, and Skipper crawled over to her.

"M-marsh?" she stammered.

"I-I knew he wouldn't throw me," Lynnie smirked, still trying to sound confident.

Skipper sighed, and then her eyes widened. "Tomp!"

"What? Oh," Lynnie mumbled, wincing as Skipper pressed a fin to Lynnie's exposed, bleeding shoulders. Blood dripped down from the small, crescent-moon marks, but Lynnie simply shrugged as she went on. "I'll get it fixed as soon as we get to Lavaridge. We can't be that far."

Lynnie gingerly took her bag out from under her cape, and as she removed her PokéNav and checked her map, she grinned. From Mt. Chimney, a path was marked directly south to Lavaridge.

"See? I'll be fine. Come on."

Lynnie recalled Skipper and put the Pokéball in her bag, along with her other Pokéballs. Grinning, she quickly crossed the surprisingly small plateau (clear of the grunts as well) and found a small cave-like entrance that apparently went underground. The ash-covered trees grew above it, and Lynnie only hoped that the roots didn't loop into the rocky cave as she ducked into it, thinking only of Lavaridge Town…

_A/N_: …Is this enough to warrant upping the rating? I mean, _I_ really don't think so. But I'm kinda paranoid, so what do you think?


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven: Vs Spoink!

_Author's Note_: Yay, Jagged Pass. Really lame in RS and really annoying in Emerald. Well, if Spoink wasn't there that is, because Spoink is WAY cooler than Abra. And Lavaridge is one of my favorite RSE towns. I don't really know why though, as it's so small. This chapter's kinda short, though…

**Chapter Twenty Seven: Vs Spoink!**

"Ow."

Lynnie winced as she hit her head on one of the descending tree roots for what felt like the millionth time. The surprisingly rocky cave was fairly dark, even for nighttime, and Lynnie was having bad luck with the root-dodging.

Of course, this fortunately meant that she'd had the chance to safely change out of the Team Magma uniform. Lynnie had simply abandoned the hood and skirt behind one of the tunnel's craggy bushes afterwards, having decided the horns on the hood made it too weird to wear out on any normal occasion.

Several times, she attempted using her PokéNav for a flashlight, but the screen was too small. Lynnie sighed and clipped the device back onto her bag, and then took several quick steps forward. If she squinted hard enough, she thought she could see some dim light in the distance, and she assumed that it was the tunnel's exit. All Lynnie had to do now was avoid hitting her head again, and she'd be fine.

Lynnie experimentally spread her arms out, but her fingers apparently weren't even close to the tunnel's walls. Crossing her eyes, she bent her elbows slightly as she started to lower them. However, she soon stumbled over _something_, and her still-bent elbows hit the dirt.

"So much for being fine," Lynnie mumbled, brushing the clay-like dirt off of her knees as she stood up. She squinted down at the ground, trying to figure out what she'd tripped on.

However, her thoughts were interrupted by a springing noise and a loud cry of, "Spoink!"

Lynnie hurriedly reached into her bag and pulled out her Pokédex. After a few seconds of scanning the area in front of her, it beeped and lit up. A ray of light was released from an outlet on the edge of her dex, illuminating the small, gray, pig-like Pokémon displayed on the screen.

"Spoink, the pig Pokémon," the Pokédex droned. "Its pearl is said to help strengthen its powers, and if it ever loses the pearl, it will search for it non-stop."

"But this one still has its pearl," Lynnie frowned, looking at it curiously. "I guess that would be useful, though… And the pearl is kind of pretty…"

"Spoi!" the Spoink cried, sounding pleased for a minute. However, it then suddenly seemed to remember that Lynnie had just stepped on it, and then gave a more indignant cry of, "Oink!"

As it jumped towards her on its spring, Lynnie gulped and reached for her Pokéballs. One fell off her belt as she grabbed it, and Domino appeared, blinking. The Spoink snorted as the Grass-type yawned.

"Okay, Domino, try a Mega Drain," Lynnie called.

"Shroom!"

Domino closed his eyes, and both he and Spoink glowed green. Spoink's eyes started to look heavy, but it managed to jump away and shake off the attack. It then shot a purple beam out of its pearl towards Domino.

The Shroomish skidded backwards a bit as the Psybeam hit. He soon got back up, however, and rocked back and forth slightly as he launched another Mega Drain. Spoink seemed to sag, even down to its spring, and as it wobbled, Lynnie grinned.

"All right, now use Stun Spore!"

Several yellow spores drifted from the top of Domino's head over to Spoink. As they floated onto the Psychic-type, it started to look numb, and it eventually had trouble trying to get up. Lynnie then took another Pokéball out and tossed it towards the Spoink. The ball barely twitched before locking shut, and Lynnie knelt down to picked it up.

"Well, that started as an accident, but it worked out," she said, clipping Spoink's Pokéball onto her belt. "Kind of like with Lucky—hey, Domino, what's up?"

The Shroomish was panting, and looked tired even though he hadn't taken much damage. Then, there was a bright flash of light, and in Domino's place stood a tan-and-green Pokémon with a long, seed-tipped tail and a mushroom-shaped head. He cocked his head as Lynnie grinned again.

"Breloom?" Domino asked.

"Cool!" Lynnie cheered. "Way to go, Dom…"

Before Lynnie could finish her sentence, she fell face-forward onto the ground, fast asleep. Domino and shook her with one of his new claws, but after several times of trying this, Lynnie didn't wake up.

"Loom?" Domino tapped Lynnie with his tail, and she answered with a snore. Blinking, Domino slowly bent down and managed to sling Lynnie over his back. He then hopped forward carefully, exiting the tunnel with Lynnie somehow still with him.

- - -

When Lynnie yawned and rubbed her eyes, she was somewhat surprised to find herself on a couch in a Pokémon Center. The nurse behind the counter looked over and noticed that Lynnie was awake, and grinned as she walked over.

"Good, you're up," she said. "I was kind of shocked to see a Breloom carrying in his trainer last night…"

"Breloom? What Breloom?" Lynnie blinked, and then suddenly remembered Domino's evolution. "Oh, right! Domino."

The nurse laughed slightly. "Oh, my. Well, he didn't seem to be hurt too badly, but I went on and took him and your other Pokémon in. I hope you don't mind, but it's a good thing that I did, since your Spoink was pretty weak."

"Okay," Lynnie replied, yawning again. "Uh, what time is it, anyway?"

The nurse quickly glanced at the loose pink watch on her wrist and smiled. "Nearly 10:30, dear. You'll want to hurry if you want breakfast."

Lynnie stood up quickly and stretched. "All right. Where are my Pokémon?"

"Right here."

The nurse handed Lynnie her five Pokéballs, and Lynnie crossed her eyes as she clipped her new Spoink's Pokéball onto her belt. She'd had four for so long, it felt kind of strange to have a fifth one.

"Okay, dear, I have to be getting back to work," the nurse went on, smiling again over her shoulder as she turned around.

"Bye," Lynnie called, hastily following the signs towards the cafeteria. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the nurse had mentioned breakfast, and she'd been hoping for some waffles—chocolate chip preferably, of course.

As Lynnie sidled into the large room, there was only a small smattering of people left finishing up breakfast. One other late riser was standing at the breakfast bar, loading his pancakes with syrup. Lynnie went over to the bar, and fortunately, there were still a few waffles left. She took the other jar of syrup and poured some over her food, and then sat down at one of the empty tables.

Lynnie had never been one for neat eating, and today was no exception, as she wanted to hurry up and look around. She knew Lavaridge had a gym from checking the more detailed version of the map on her PokéNav, and if she got it that meant she'd have the four that Norman had asked of her.

_Make that WHEN I get it_, Lynnie corrected herself, smirking as she ate the last piece of her waffle. _And then I'll be able to prove to Dad how strong I am_.

A few trainers entered for an early lunch as Lynnie got up to throw her plate away. Her smirk remained as she turned to leave the cafeteria, and as she left the Pokémon Center, her thoughts were focused on the gym.


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight: Vs Torkoal!

_Author's Note_: Ah, the Herb Shop… fun. And while Flannery is one of my favorite Gym Leaders, she's one of my least favorite to actually battle… If that made any sense.

**Chapter Twenty Eight: Vs Torkoal!**

Lynnie stretched and then rested the back of her head in her hands as she left Lavaridge's Pokémon Center. To be quite honest, she had no idea where she was going, as Domino had been the one to carry her into the town the previous night. However, a little (rather aimless) wandering could never hurt anyone.

Unless it involved flaming red camels, of course.

Shaking that thought out of her mind, Lynnie took a turn on the dirt path and arrived near a small, red-brick building with some whitewashed siding and a black shingled roof. Smoke rose from the tiny chimney, and Lynnie blinked. The building kind of reminded her of Earl's Academy. Shrugging it off, Lynnie approached the wooden door. One square in the corner of its paned window read "_Lavaridge Herb Shop: Bitter taste, better cure!_"

"I wonder if it's _cheaper_," Lynnie said aloud, turning the doorknob.

As she entered, she saw a few shelves full of small jars containing various leaves and roots, and a few with pale powder. Two or three other customers browsed through the shelves, and Lynnie went on over herself. She picked up a jar labeled _Energyroot_ and looked at the small, greenish-brown plant root inside it. It radiated a faint smell of garlic, and Lynnie shrugged—she _liked _garlic, after all—and she went up to the counter to pay.

A clerk scurried up to the counter from a back room as Lynnie approached. He grinned at her as he straightened his apron.

"Energyroot's a cheap one, 500 Poké," he explained, tucking a piece of his curly black hair behind his ear.

"Okay…"

Lynnie pulled a few bills out of her pocket and handed them to the clerk. His grin widened as he took them.

"Thanks, miss, and remember: _Bitter taste, better cure_!"

Lynnie nodded and turned around. The boy's footsteps quickly signaled that he'd reentered the backroom, and Lynnie headed in the opposite direction to the door. As she did, she screwed open the jar's lid, wondering what exactly the root did; cure headaches? She quickly tested it by popping the entire root into her mouth.

Lynnie promptly coughed, but managed to swallow the whole thing. She had no idea how, though, as the herb tasted nothing like garlic—more like some strange combination of green olive and black pepper. As Lynnie leaned against the door to catch her breath, a girl's voice laughed, but not meanly.

"Oh, that's the first time I've seen anyone eat one of these herbs! They're for Pokémon. Most of the ones that live in this area like the taste."

"I wish I'd known that sooner," Lynnie grumbled.

She looked up and saw a red-haired girl with a spiky ponytail giggling and blinking at her. Lynnie sighed, slipping the discarded jar into her bag. When she looked back up, the girl was looking at her normally again.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Um, you must be from out of town, right? My name's Flannery. I'm the Gym Leader, by the way…"

"I'm Lynnie," Lynnie introduced. "But, most of the Gym Leaders I've met so far haven't said so right away."

"Eh heh… I guess so," Flannery said sheepishly. "That's because they probably think most people know who they are. I just started at the gym a couple weeks ago."

"Really?" Lynnie blinked. "That's just like D—I mean, Norman."

"Yeah, but I heard Norman's really strong," Flannery replied thoughtfully. "Anyway, uh, would you like me to show you around a bit? We can go to the gym later, if you want to."

"Yay! I mean, yeah."

"Great!"

As Flannery and Lynnie headed out the door, the redhead grinned. She looked kind of relieved as she took Lynnie outside.

"Okay," Flannery started. "This is just about the middle of town. I'll show you to the hot springs first."

"Hot springs?" Lynnie repeated. "That's kind of romantic…"

"Yeah! I always soak in them after a day at the gym," Flannery responded proudly. "They're right near the Pokémon Center, actually."

Flannery excitedly led Lynnie on the short walk back to the Pokémon Center. Not far from the building's entrance, a tall wooden fence lined a steamy concrete path. Lynnie couldn't see the end of it, but it looked rather long. A scroll hung near the gate, reading _"Lavaridge hot springs—a soak a day keeps the doctor away!"_

"They're supposed to be like some kind of therapy," Flannery explained. "A lot of people with arthritis or colds soak in them, but I do to relax. We actually get a lot of tourists from this."

"I wanna soak! Um, after our battle later, of course," Lynnie replied.

Flannery smiled. "That's good, since afternoons are less crowded. Most people go in the morning or the evening."

The Gym Leader then turned away from the hot spring and looked back at Lynnie. She still looked excited, as she seemed proud to be able to show Lynnie around.

"There's not much else on this end of town, so I'll go on and show you the gym."

As the pair left the hot spring entrance, Lynnie had to scramble slightly to keep up with Flannery. The Gym Leader was walking surprisingly quickly, as if she was more excited about the battle than Lynnie was.

"How many battles have you gotten to do?" Lynnie asked.

"Eh…" Flannery grinned sheepishly. "Not too many. I guess people don't think I'm a very big challenge or something… My grandpa had the gym before but he had to retire… He was really strong."

"What about… Uh, I mean, do you still use the same building?"

"Yep!" Flannery's grin turned more natural. "It's amazing! We're really close to it now…"

They had just passed the Herb Shop again, and another, larger brick building could be seen not far away. Upon squinting, Lynnie noticed the roof was flat, and metal grating was around the top and bottom. It almost looked like some kind of furnace.

"See? The drains are for steam," Flannery explained.

Lynnie nodded, pretending to pay attention. A few moments later they arrived in front of the black-stained steel doors. Flannery pushed one of the doors open with her shoulder, and it creaked loudly as it did so.

When they entered, Lynnie crossed her eyes in surprise. The gym was even smaller on the inside than it had looked from the outside, and it was just one square room. Also, holes were placed sporadically around the floor, and cuts in the marble revealed small round holes sinking into the sandy ground below.

"Well, this is…" Lynnie started.

"It's great, isn't it?"

Flannery seemed totally oblivious to the fact that Lynnie had been planning on using an adjective quite the opposite of "great." However, Lynnie forced a grin.

"Yeah! Um… What do the holes do?"

"You'll see."

Flannery winked, and then reached for one of her Pokéballs. As she held it up, she started explaining the rules.

"Let's do a 3-on-3 match!" she began. "With, uh, no time limit. Is that okay?"

"You bet it is!"

"Okay, let's go! Come on, Slugma!"

Lynnie blinked at the fire slug when it appeared. It looked a bit smaller than Brendan's, but she knew from using one in a test that they could be powerful. However, they were also very slow, which had almost cost her the grade.

"I'll go with… Pearl!"

Lynnie released her newly-named Spoink. She bounced slightly on her spring-like tail, and looked a bit confused when she saw the Slugma.

"You can do it, Pearl! Use Psybeam," Lynnie called.

"Slugma, try an Ember," Flannery suggested.

Slugma shot the coals out of its mouth towards the Spoink. Pearl had been blinking after the compliment, but quickly managed to jump away. She leaned forward slightly and launched the purple beam out of her pearl. It collided with Slugma, and the fire slug winced.

"All right, do it again, Pearl!"

Pearl jumped forward as she tried to launch another Psybeam. However, the hole she'd just jumped next to erupted, blasting out hot water and steam. Pearl twisted away, fortunately not looking too hurt.

"That's what they do!" Flannery grinned.

"But… But… You train Fire-types, right?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"Yes, but since the water is so hot, it has less effect on them," Flannery explained. "Besides, it takes people for surprise."

"No, really?" Lynnie grumbled. "Well, anyway, use Psywave this time."

Pearl closed her eyes and sent a rainbow-colored wave out of her pearl. Slugma lazily blinked at it, looking unconcerned. When Lynnie blinked back, albeit in confusion, another hole erupted near Slugma. Pearl's Psywave struck the water, and when it receded, Slugma looked basically unharmed.

"That was just bad luck!" Lynnie forced a grin. "Do Psywave again."

"Rock Throw, Slugma!"

Pearl shot out another Psywave while Slugma narrowed its eyes and created an avalanche of rocks. The Spoink sprung away just in time, and the Psywave struck Slugma head-on. It crumpled, and Flannery sighed.

"My fault, Slugma… Come on back."

Flannery recalled Slugma and hesitated over her next Pokémon. She still had two Pokéballs left, and Lynnie watched her slowly pull one off of her belt.

"I'll try Torkoal this time," she said.

Tossing out the Pokéball, Flannery released a large, red, turtle-like Pokémon. Its shell had several holes in it, revealing magma underneath. Lynnie winced, reminded of an oven for some reason.

"Well, let's go with Psybeam, Pearl."

"Overheat!"

Pearl tried to launch the attack, but before she could, steam started to pour out of Torkoal's mouth. Fire erupted from the holes in Torkoal's shell, and when Lynnie blinked, a slightly singed Pearl was lying near her feet.

"Spoi…" Pearl groaned.

"Hey, you tried," Lynnie shrugged as she withdrew the Psychic-type. She then reached for Skipper's Pokéball. "Come on, Skipper! This should be easier."

The Marshtomp cocked her head at the larger Pokémon. Torkoal merely stared back vacantly, and Skipper looked confused.

"Let's start with a Water Gun!"

"Use Overheat again!"

Skipper managed to hit Torkoal with her attack. However, Torkoal recovered and started launching Overheat again. A few less flames poured out of its shell, but Skipper still tumbled backwards, singed. The Marshtomp managed to get back up, but was panting slightly.

"You can do this, Skipper," Lynnie called. "Try a Mud Shot this time."

"Torkoal, go with Body Slam!"

Skipper crouched slightly as she shot the mud at Torkoal. However, another of the mini-geysers erupted, and part of the attack went to blocking it. Some of the Mud Shot still managed to hot Torkoal, but it didn't look very affected.

Then, Torkoal charged toward Skipper, colliding with her and sending her skidding. Skipper winced and tumbled over, not getting up.

"Wh-What?" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "But… I had a type advantage!"

Flannery looked just as surprised as Lynnie, but then she ginned. She looked like she hadn't expected to do this well.

"Well, Overheat _is_ pretty strong," she said.

"I know… Come back, Skipper."

Lynnie withdrew Skipper and almost instinctively reached for Lucky's Pokéball. However, she then stopped.

_I promised I wouldn't make him battle too much_, she groaned inwardly. _Now what am I supposed to do?_

The only other two Pokémon she had left were Oakley and Domino, both of which had a disadvantage on Torkoal. But if even Skipper had been knocked out… Lynnie shook her head. Domino probably had a better chance with his fighting attacks, and Overheat had seemed a bit weaker the second time.

"Well… I guess I'll go with Domino."

The Breloom appeared beside Lynnie, and Flannery's grin widened. Torkoal yawned, and Domino blinked. Lynnie sighed, hoping this would go well.

"Let's go with Mach Punch!"

"Flamethrower!"

Domino darted towards Torkoal, lashing out with one of his claws. Second later, Torkoal launched the Flamethrower out of its mouth, sending Domino flying backwards. He was already knocked out.

Lynnie sighed again. "I really should have seen that coming. My bad."

"Well, if you'd hit again I might have lost Torkoal… But I'm surprised! I thought I was gonna lose when you sent out Marshtomp!" Flannery grinned sheepishly.

Lynnie withdrew Domino and laughed slightly. "Well, I wasn't really thinking. I guess I'll try again tomorrow."

"Okay!" Flannery grinned. "That was actually kind of fun. It was a challenge!"

"Right," Lynnie grinned back. "Okay, see you tomorrow!"

The two girls waved as Lynnie opened the front door and left. Lynnie frowned slightly, but then grinned again.

"I can go to the hot spring now!"

Lynnie whistled to herself, heading for the Pokémon Center. The hot spring was just a short walk away…


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine: Vs Torkoal II!

_Author's Notes_: Woot, hot springs. And Flannery again. And stuff.

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Vs Torkoal II!**

Lynnie stretched as she walked out of Lavaridge's Pokémon Center once again. She'd just gotten her Pokémon healed, and was now walking the rather short distance to the hot spring.

Reaching the wooden gate, Lynnie slipped through and blinked slightly when the steam hit her face. After winding around the concrete path for a few moments, she finally reached an entry shack, out from which extended another, but lower, wooden gate. Squinting, Lynnie could see another fence dividing the spring in two.

Lynnie pushed open the glass door of the small shack. An attendant scurried over to her, towels draped over one arm and a clipboard in the other.

"Excuse me, miss, could you come to the counter and sign in?" she rushed.

"S-sure?" Lynnie asked more than replied.

She followed the short, curly-haired woman over to the plain desk, and hurriedly wrote her name down in her usual messy handwriting. The woman then handed Lynnie a towel and pointed towards the left door in the back of the room.

"The women's side is over there," she explained. "And you picked a good time to come; I don't think there are many other people are back there."

"Great! I mean, good," Lynnie grinned. "Do I sign out when I'm done?"

"Yup," the attendant nodded. "Enjoy your time!"

Lynnie's grin grew as she entered the hot spring area. There were no other girls in the hot spring at the moment, but she did hear some laughter and an occasional splash from the men's side.

She quickly slipped out of her tennis shoes, bag, and bandana. After looking around quickly, Lynnie removed the rest of her clothing and slowly entered the pool. For a moment, she lied back against the edge, still grinning. Johto had no hot springs, so she was finally getting to do something before Crys.

Lynnie then carefully reached for her bag—she'd left it near the edge of the pool—and grabbed her Pokéballs, releasing her Pokémon. The five looked at her curiously.

"The water feels nice," Lynnie shrugged. "Come in?"

Skipper eagerly dove in, and Pearl hopped in after her. Oakley and Domino looked at each other briefly, but slowly followed; they winced at first at the heat but then got used to it. Finally, Lucky stuck a paw into the water, but a slight bit of static discharged into the water, only in the spot surrounding his foot. Lynnie crossed her eyes as he hastily withdrew from the pool.

"Sorry, Lucky," she said, grinning sheepishly.

"Trike," he pouted.

Lynnie then felt a splash, and when she whirled around, Domino quickly raised his claws in an "I didn't do it!" fashion, while Skipper giggled slightly. Lynnie suddenly grinned.

"It's on now," she announced, splashing the Breloom back.

Domino, however, quickly ducked, causing the splash to sail over his head to Oakley. Surprised, Oakley tried to splash back, but hit Skipper instead. The Marshtomp then tried to join in herself, hitting Pearl in the process.

As Lynnie giggled, an angry bark resounded from Lucky's general direction. When she peeked over her shoulder, she saw the Electrike grab her towel in his mouth and toss it out into the hot spring. It lazily fell into the pool and was soaked in a matter of seconds.

"Aw, Lucky, why'd you do that?" Lynnie sulked. "Will you please get a new one?"

Lucky was still grinning proudly, but trotted back over to the door. He then propped himself up on his two back paws and rubbed the glass with his front two.

Needless to say, when the attendant opened the door and the Electric-type bolted over to the towel rack, she was quite surprised.

- - -

Lynnie reluctantly left her bandanna off as she returned to the Pokémon Center. Her hair wasn't quite dry yet even though she'd toweled it after getting out of the water.

After Lynnie entered the building, she quickly headed to the common room, leaving her Pokéballs in her bag. She was still slightly sore about Lucky and the towel, and she crossed her eyes as she grabbed one of the few remaining provided sleeping bags. It was bright white, just like the towel.

However, Lynnie went ahead and unrolled it along the back wall. She shifted her bag so that the softer side would be under her head, and then crawled into the bag. The lights in the room had dimmed, perhaps a warning to curfew, and Lynnie had little trouble falling asleep.

She had another battle to look forward to the next day, and even though she was still sore about losing, she had a plan. Now that she knew about the mini-geysers, it was easy to come up with a strategy.

Grinning, Lynnie squeezed her eyes shut. The faster she fell asleep, the faster she'd wake back up, obviously, and the faster she'd be able to go back to fight Flannery.

- - -

The next morning, Lynnie grabbed a biscuit from the cafeteria's breakfast line and scurried back out of the cafeteria. She ate her breakfast on the way out of the Pokémon Center. Passing the Herb Shop, Lynnie crossed her eyes and walked a bit faster.

Fortunately, she remembered the location of the gym fairly well and only took a wrong turn twice (which, despite the town's size—or lack thereof—was a new good record for Lynnie). The blonde girl twisted the door knob, and winced slightly. She could already feel the heat of the gym just by leaning on the door.

Lynnie poked her head in, and then quickly entered. Flannery didn't seem to be in yet, as the room was empty.

However, a few seconds later, Lynnie jumped when she heard a loud creaking sound. A square of flooring opened up in the middle of the room, and Flannery slowly rose out of it. The redhead grinned sheepishly as the floor closed back up.

"Hey, Lynnie," she greeted. "I didn't think you'd be back this early, so I was checking on the geysers."

"Oh." Lynnie nodded, but then frowned. "But I thought the floor was sand. How'd you get that trap door to work?"

"Actually…" Flannery scratched the back of her neck. "You see, the floor's normal tiling, I just put sand over it, and it's thinner over there where the trap door is."

"Well, um… Can we go on and get started then?"

"Of course! Battling you was really a challenge yesterday!"

Lynnie grinned as she reached for a Pokéball. She then paused, waiting to see what Flannery would choose. The gym leader slowly chose a Pokéball, releasing a red slug-like Pokémon.

"Ma!" the Slugma cried.

_Like Brendan_, Lynnie thought, and her grin widened. _Well, I already know they're slow, so I guess I can go ahead with…_

"Come on, Skipper!"

The Marshtomp appeared next to Lynnie, posing in her usual crouch and looking at Lynnie patiently. Lynnie nodded again as Skipper turned back to Slugma.

"Right, use Water Gun," Lynnie started.

"Use Ember, Slugma," Flannery countered.

Skipper ducked as the Fire-type shot the coals out of its mouth. She then launched the Water Gun at it, and Slugma winced as it hit.

"All right, keep it up, Skipper!"

"Try again, Slugma!"

Skipper and Slugma simultaneously launched their attacks. The two moves collided in midair, causing steam as they struck.

Slugma tried again, and Skipper paused a second before attacking. The Water Gun went right under the Ember, but she didn't dodge in time. Skipper tumbled backwards as she was hit, but Slugma crumpled as it was hit by the Water Gun.

"Aw man," Flannery mumbled. "Oh well. You tried, Slugma."

Flannery sighed as she withdrew Slugma. She looked hesitant as she reached for her other two Pokéballs. Lynnie hoped she wouldn't choose Torkoal again, but if she did, at least Lynnie had an idea…

"I'll use Numel!" Flannery decided.

She released the yellow camel Pokémon, and Lynnie grinned. It would definitely be easier than Torkoal, at least.

"Use Mud Shot this time," Lynnie called.

"Numel, try Take Down," Flannery suggested.

Numel lowered its head slightly as it charged towards Skipper. The Marshtomp paused for a moment, and when Numel was a few feet away, she launched the Mud Shot. It struck Numel head-on, and it fell over onto its side.

Lynnie grinned again, thinking she'd knocked it out already. However, Numel flailed its feet slightly, and after a minute, it got back up as if it hadn't been hit.

Skipper launched another Mud Shot, but at that moment, one of the geysers erupted, blocking most of the attack. A bit of the mud still hit Numel, but it just flinched a bit and seemed unharmed.

"Use Ember now!"

"Keep up the Mud Shot!"

Numel launched an Ember, but steam started rising from a geyser near Skipper. The Water-type quickly ducked behind it as the water shot up from it, and the water absorbed the Ember. Skipper then launched the Mud Shot around the water as it started to recede, hitting Numel directly again. It skidded back, and then fell over next to Flannery's feet.

Flannery blinked, but forced a grin as she withdrew Slugma. She then reached for Torkoal's Pokéball.

"Well, this has been really good so far," Flannery started. "But I'm going to use Torkoal now."

"Right," Lynnie replied. "But… I'm still staying with Skipper."

"Okay then…"

Flannery tossed out the Pokéball, releasing the fire turtle. Torkoal lazily blinked at Skipper, and the Marshtomp cocked her head to the side.

"All right, Torkoal, use Overheat!"

"Water Gun!"

Skipper shot the Water Gun at Torkoal, but the Fire-type lowered its head just in time to avoid getting hit. It then opened its mouth slightly, and steam began pouring from it. Then, flames erupted from the holes in its shell and its mouth, and a singed Skipper flew backwards and landed near Lynnie after the attack hit.

"Good try, at least," Lynnie said, sighing as she withdrew Skipper.

She then grinned as she reached for Domino's Pokéball, releasing the Breloom. Flannery looked surprised, but Lynnie giggled.

"Domino didn't do very well yesterday but I have an idea," she replied. "Use Mach Punch!"

"Just use Overheat again!"

Flames began to pour out of Torkoal's shell again and launched towards Domino. The Grass-type paused, and just before the attack hit, dove out of the way. Torkoal's Overheat merely struck the sandy floor, and Domino suddenly reappeared behind Torkoal, ramming his claw into its shell.

Torkoal cried out in surprise as it skidded forward a few inches. Lynnie squinted slightly; a geyser near Torkoal was starting to steam, and she nodded to Domino.

"Mach Punch again!"

Domino once again rammed his claw into Torkoal, sending it forward just enough to land over the geyser. The water then erupted, the full blast hitting Torkoal. It was launched up along with the water, and when the geyser's blast receded, Torkoal crashed back to the floor, fainted.

Flannery smiled slightly as she withdrew Torkoal. "I… I wouldn't have thought you'd have used the geysers like that…"

"Well…" Lynnie shrugged as she withdrew Domino. "I was just mad about them yesterday, so I thought maybe I could use them somehow."

"But…" Flannery looked thoughtful as she reached into her pocket. "What would you have done if the geyser hadn't erupted right then?"

"Uh… I dunno!"

Flannery sighed. "Talk about hit-or-miss… Anyway… Um, here's your Heat Badge, I guess."

Flannery handed Lynnie a flame-shaped badge. Lynnie clipped it onto her bag's strap with her other three badges, making four.

"Hey…" Lynnie blinked. "Um, this is gonna sound weird, maybe, but… Is there a good way from here to Petalburg?"

"Huh? Oh, you want to challenge Norman," Flannery realized. "Well… There's this lady with a Kadabra that always visits the Herb Shop about this time. I can call the shop and tell them to tell her you're going."

"Okay! Thanks!"

"No problem… I mean, normally I get sad when I lose, but this time I'm spurred to do better!"

Lynnie grinned. "Yeah! Like I was yesterday! Bye, Flannery."

"Bye, Lynnie!"

The two girls waved as Lynnie left the gym. She then turned on the path to the Herb Shop, and minutes later she was turning the door knob. As the door creaked slightly, Lynnie peeked in and looked around hastily.

A tall, skinny woman with graying hair was standing near the counter, buying a few jars of some kind of powder. A slightly worn-out-looking Kadabra was standing next to her, holding a few coins in one of its spoons. After paying, the woman turned around and saw Lynnie.

"Oh, you must be that girl Flannery just finished calling about," she said, smiling gently. "Here, Kadabra!"

"Kad…" Kadabra muttered.

"All right, dear, you need to stand here next to Kadabra," the woman explained.

"Okay," Lynnie nodded.

She approached the Psychic-type, and it squinted at her. The woman then continued her explanation.

"You need to have a clear vision in your mind about where you want to go."

Lynnie nodded again, trying to think about Petalburg City. The Kadabra's eyes then started to glow. A funny feeling arose in the pit of Lynnie's stomach, and the woman laughed pleasantly.

"She's just using Teleport on you, dear. You should be where you need to go in just a few seconds."

Lynnie squeezed her eyes closed as her limbs started to tingle. The last thing she heard was a cry from Kadabra, and then her mind went blank…


	31. Chapter Thirty: Vs Linoone!

_Author's Notes_: And we're back to Petalburg! Lynnie finally gets to fight Norman… My second-least-favorite gym battle, although Norman himself is pretty cool. Anyway, here it is.

**Chapter Thirty: Vs Linoone!**

When Lynnie opened her eyes, it was due to a rather large thud. Blinking, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, realizing that said thud had been from her rather ungraceful landing. Lynnie then rubbed her eyes again, wondering why it was still dark even with her eyes open. Looking around, she noticed that she was on the outskirts of Petalburg, almost on Route 104, and the sky was dimming.

Grumbling slightly, Lynnie stood up and dusted herself off. She started to blame her location and timing on the Kadabra, but then remembered that she hadn't been very clear in her image of Petalburg. She sighed as she entered the familiar west end of Petalburg. The teleportation taking so long was probably her fault.

Pulling out her PokéNav, Lynnie frowned slightly. The clock's display flipped to 7:30 P.M., just barely too late to make a gym challenge—Lynnie remembered her mother saying that Norman usually closed up around 7:00.

Sighing, Lynnie headed to the Pokémon Center. After handing her Pokémon to the nurse, she went to the cafeteria. It was almost deserted, probably due to the time, and Lynnie barely had to wait in line to get her plate of spaghetti from the server at the bar. Sitting down at an empty table, Lynnie twirled her spaghetti around her fork disinterestedly. Normally spaghetti was one of her favorite foods, but her mind was elsewhere—namely on her battle for the next day.

She already knew what Pokémon Norman had, but she was having trouble deciding what Pokémon _she_ would use. Domino obviously would have a type advantage, but it would be better to save him for Vigoroth or Slaking instead of Spinda. And of course, there was Norman's Zigzagoon… Lynnie sighed, figuring he'd evolved it into Linoone soon after getting it, but it still probably wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Finishing off her dinner, Lynnie tossed the plastic plate into the trash can on her way back to the lobby. As she waited next to the counter, she noticed a small group of trainers gathered near one of the couches off to the side. A short blonde girl was in the center, and Lynnie decided to strain a bit so she could eavesdrop.

"…So I challenged Norman earlier today, right? Well, it was going pretty well until he sent out his Slaking. That thing absolutely owned my Sceptile, and then it knocked out my Mightyena too, but my Azumarril finally got it."

"That's crazy—three of yours for one of his?"

"Yeah, but Sceptile was already weak from his Vigoroth, and Azumarril just kinda finished it off. Mightyena did manage to get a few good Poison Fangs in…"

"Lynnie Maple, right? Your Pokémon are healed…"

"Huh?" Lynnie turned back to the counter, her attention broken from the conversation. The nurse was holding Lynnie's Pokéballs and smiling at her. "Oh, right, thanks."

Lynnie clipped her Pokéballs back onto her belt and turned towards the common room. As she took a sleeping bag, she drifted back to the conversation she'd just heard. The girl with the Sceptile probably just hadn't been expecting Slaking, and Lynnie grinned to herself as she crawled into the sleeping bag. _She_ knew what to expect, after all.

As she closed her eyes, she quietly glossed over the minor details of her plan, and fell asleep picturing her new Balance Badge…

- - -

Lynnie squeezed her eyes tighter shut the next morning. When had the common room gotten so bright?

She then shot up, fumbling around her bag for her PokéNav. Flipping open the device, she groaned. The clock on the screen displayed 8:45. Lynnie was normally a late sleeper, but she'd wanted to start her challenge as soon as she could.

Quickly running her fingers through her hair, Lynnie turned in her sleeping bag and headed to the cafeteria again. She grabbed a biscuit out of the breakfast line and ate it on her way out, trying not to trail _too_ many crumbs.

Lynnie easily picked out the gym even from a distance and hurried over; the tall, flat-roofed tan building stood out from the rest of Petalburg's apartment buildings. She slowly reached for the opaque glass door, but then quickly slid it open and entered.

"Dad! I'm back!"

Her voice echoed back at her, and Lynnie crossed her eyes. The tiled room was empty—extremely odd considering this _was_ Norman's gym, after all. Then she noticed a small door in the back of the room, and hoped he wasn't in the middle of a challenge.

Lynnie bit her tongue a second later when the door creaked open. A slim girl with curly hair and glasses sighed as she ducked out into the lobby, followed a few moments later by Norman.

"Hey, good luck," the other girl grinned. "I just lost zero to four, but hey, it was fun!"

"Great!" Lynnie forced a grin back as the girl left the building.

An awkward silence formed as Lynnie looked back at Norman. He eventually cleared his throat and folded his arms.

"So. You did earn four badges, I presume?"

"You bet I did!"

Lynnie shifted and proudly displayed the four badges clipped onto her bag's strap. Norman looked mildly impressed, but the look flitted out of his eyes after a moment. He then turned back around and motioned to her.

"Come along, then."

Lynnie hurriedly followed Norman through the door in the back, and then blinked. As large as the front lobby was, the battling arena was even bigger. It was the same tan walls and linoleum as the front, but high windows were placed meticulously evenly across the walls, and a perfectly square tan mat lay in the middle of the room.

"Lynnie. You have seen enough gyms by now that you should not be gawking at my décor."

"Oh, right," Lynnie said sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck. "Well, um, let me guess this one! It's going to be a four-on-four, right?"

"Correct."

_Creepy! He didn't even look up!_ Lynnie thought, crossing her eyes. _But… I already know Lucky's the one I'm not using this battle…_

Norman silently reached for one of the Pokéballs on his belt, and the release interrupted Lynnie's thoughts. A long, tan-and-brown raccoon Pokémon stretched out next to Norman, and blinked at Lynnie rather impatiently.

"Linoo…" it growled.

"Hey!" Lynnie shouted. "It's you! Let's get it, Skipper!"

Norman looked only mildly fazed at Lynnie's outburst, and then looked absolutely normal when Lynnie released the Marshtomp. Linoone raised itself onto its back two paws, looking at Norman with a slightly irritated expression as it waited for orders.

"Headbutt," Norman commanded.

"Skipper, use Water Gun!" Lynnie countered.

Linoone lowered itself back to all four paws and ducked its head. As it charged towards Skipper, she crouched and shot the Water Gun at Linoone. The Normal-type was hit dead-on, and it tumbled backwards, landing next to Norman's feet.

"Hm," he droned. "Switch to Pin Missile."

Linoone bristled, and several needle-like pieces of its fur shot towards Skipper. The Water-type tried to duck, but only dodged a few of the needles; she was hit by most of them and crashed to the floor.

"Come on, Skipper!" Lynnie called, grinning suddenly. "We have a way to deal with this kind of thing, right?"

As Skipper pulled herself back up, she looked at Lynnie curiously, but then nodded. Lynnie nodded back as she decided her next attack.

"Whirlpool and Mud Shot!"

Skipper quickly formed the whirlpool and blasted it towards Linoone. It was still close enough to Skipper that Norman didn't have enough time to counter, and Skipper continues the combo with the Mud Shot. Several moments later, Linoone came twirling out of the top of the vortex, soaked and covered in mud, and crashed to the floor. With a brief nod from Skipper, the whirlpool receded, and Linoone growled weakly from the wet tiling.

"Hah!" Lynnie's grin turned into a smirk. "Take that!"

Norman closed his eyes as he withdrew Linoone, and opened them a moment later. Again, he looked mildly impressed, and reached for another Pokéball.

"You're doing better than I expected."

"Of course!"

Norman took the Pokéball off of his belt, and his expression was eerily calm.

"However, this has just begun."


	32. Chapter Thirty One: Vs Slaking!

_Author's Notes_: Part two of the battle and stuffs. Rawr, it's a Slaking! Oh, and Merry Christmas a day late.

**Chapter Thirty One: Vs Slaking!**

"Just begun? It's already almost over!"

Lynnie grinned as Norman calmly reached for his next Pokéball. Linoone was a piece of cake, and while his other Pokémon weren't pushovers, Lynnie was sure she wouldn't have much more difficulty.

"We'll see," Norman murmured, pausing slightly. He then finally released a new Pokémon. "Let's go, Spinda."

The red-and-white panda Pokémon teetered slightly as it materialized next to Norman. Lynnie giggled—the thing couldn't even stand up straight. Norman, however, still looked totally serious.

_Oh, right, he had it __**before**__ he did the Gym Leader test, so it might be good…_ Lynnie thought, crossing her eyes.

"Um, anyway! Skipper, use Rock Tomb!"

"Teeter Dance."

Skipper closed her eyes and crouched down, summoning several large boulders. However, Spinda swaggered out of the way of each one, and they merely broke on the tile. Confused, Lynnie blinked as Skipper tried the attack again. Spinda continued to duck and wobble out of the way of each boulder.

"Okay, use Take Down," Lynnie decided.

Skipper lowered her head and charged towards Spinda. The Normal-type staggered to the side again as Skipper approached, but only dodged partially; Skipper still managed to hit Spinda in the side. Spinda slid backwards a few feet, but managed to get back up.

"Dizzy Punch, Spinda."

Spinda stumbled forward and threw what looked like an off-center punch, but it still managed to hit Skipper. Confused slightly, Skipper rolled to the side and struggled to get back up. She ducked for another Take Down, but just before she hit, Spinda threw another punch, sending her flying backwards. Skipper landed next to Lynnie's feet, and the girl blinked, just as surprised as her Pokémon.

Skipper weakly sighed, and Lynnie quickly reached for the Marshtomp's Pokéball. She smiled slightly as she withdrew Skipper.

"You got one of his," Lynnie grinned, and reached for another Pokéball. "Hm… Hey, I bet Pearl can get it!"

Lynnie released her Spoink, and the Psychic-type bounced slightly as she curiously looked at Spinda. The Normal-type was still staggering around, looking just as unfazed as Norman.

"Spinda, use Faint Attack," Norman said quietly.

"Use Bounce, Pearl!" Lynnie countered.

Spinda managed to straighten up a bit as it charged towards Pearl. However, at the last second, Pearl bounced on her spring as hard as she could, launching herself into the air. Spinda stumbled around, looking for Pearl, and a few seconds later Pearl crashed into it from above, knocking it over.

"Now finish it with Shock Wave!"

Sparks formed around the pearl on Pearl's head, and as she closed her eyes, she launched the electric attack at Spinda. The Normal-type tried to duck, but a second too late; the attack hit it dead-on, knocking it out.

"Impressive," Norman muttered. "But…"

Lynnie gulped as Norman reached for his third Pokéball. She rarely got nervous during battles, but Norman was down to Vigoroth and Slaking. Either one would be a lot stronger than Spinda.

Norman carefully chose his next Pokémon and slowly released it. Lynnie breathed a sigh of relief when Vigoroth appeared next to Norman instead of Slaking.

"Slash, Vigoroth," Norman called.

"Bounce!"

The Normal-type hastily charged forward, claws stretched towards Pearl. However, Pearl managed to spring up out of the way just in time, and crashed back into Vigoroth. As Vigoroth tumbled to the floor, Pearl started to jump away, but at the last second, Vigoroth suddenly lashed out with its other claw. It landed a hit on Pearl's side, and the Spoink toppled over as well.

Vigoroth then managed to pull itself up, but Pearl was still lying on her side. The Normal-type raised its claw again, and Lynnie started wince. Pearl weakly managed to roll out of the way, though, and Vigoroth's claw lodged in the floor.

"All right, Pearl!" Lynnie grinned. "Use Shock Wave now."

Pearl sweated a bit as she formed the electric attack in her pearl. Vigoroth narrowed its eyes slightly and suddenly managed to pull its claw out of the floor, slashing Pearl before she got the chance to attack. The Psychic-type tumbled over and didn't get up.

Lynnie sighed as she recalled Pearl. "Well, at least she got Spinda… All right. I'll go with Oakley!"

Releasing the Nuzleaf, Lynnie paused for a moment as she looked at Vigoroth. It was probably going to faint soon, but then again, it _had_ just knocked out Pearl when she wasn't expecting it. Then, Lynnie suddenly grinned again.

"Go with a Bullet Seed, Oakley," she started.

Oakley raised her hands in front of her face as she shot the seeds out of her mouth. Vigoroth tried to deflect the attack with another Slash, but it only knocked away a few of the seeds. The rest of the strike hit it on the side of the face, and it fell over in surprise.

"Now use Pound!"

"Fury Swipes, Vigoroth."

Oakley darted towards Vigoroth, curling one of her hands into a fist. As she got closer to it, the Normal-type weakly raised one of its claws, but she ducked out of the way. It then tried to slash down with its other claw, but Oakley dropped down and rolled out of the way. When she popped back up, she struck Vigoroth's back, and it tumbled forward, fainted.

Norman silently withdrew Vigoroth, and Lynnie's grin widened. Just one more left, even if it was Slaking. At least he hadn't used it earlier, and she still had Domino left just in case…

Then, Norman released his Slaking, and it yawned as it lay down onto its side. Oakley simply blinked, having to lean her head up to see Slaking's face.

"Let's go with Razor Wind, Oakley!"

Oakley closed her eyes and spread out her arms, and three small whirlwinds formed behind her. She then threw her hands forward, and the twisters shot towards Slaking.

"Counter," Norman suddenly commanded.

Slowly, Slaking lifted one of its arms. As the Razor Wind approached it, it simply swung its arm forward, and the force caused the twisters to return towards Oakley. The attack hit before Oakley had time to dodge, and she was thrown backwards, landing next to Lynnie's feet.

"Come on, Oakley! You can beat that thing, right?" Lynnie tried to keep her grin on as she thought of another attack. "How about Extrasensory?"

The Grass-type managed to nod and pull herself back up. She then closed her eyes again and started to glow purple. Oakley's eyes snapped open, and she shot the energy blast at Slaking.

The attack struck Slaking, leaving a mark on its side but not seeming to do much damage. It yawned again, and Lynnie crossed her eyes.

_What is __**with**__ that thing, anyway?_

Lynnie shook her head. "Whatever. Let's see how Faint Attack works out."

"Use Ice Punch."

Oakley dashed towards Slaking, and it slowly raised its fist. She tried to duck as its cold fist swung down, but she dodged a second too late. The attack hit, and she collapsed.

Lynnie blinked. "N-no fair!"

Norman rubbed his temples. "Lynnie. This is a battle. As long as I don't take any cheap shots, anything's fair. Please, stay focused as you release your last Pokémon."

Grumbling, Lynnie withdrew Oakley and released Domino. A brief odd look flashed through Norman's eyes, but then he looked normal again.

"Start with Mach Punch!"

"Use Ice Punch again."

Domino raised a claw as he charged towards Slaking. The Normal-type swung down at Domino, but he ducked out of the way and seemed to laugh slightly. He then rammed his claw into Slaking, and flipped backwards out of the way.

"Great! Keep it up, Domino!"

Domino grinned back as he darted towards Slaking again. However, Slaking once again raised its fist, and although it swung a bit slow, it managed to graze Domino's feet just before he pulled off the Mach Punch. His feet were apparently stuck to the ground from the chill of the attack, and Lynnie sighed. However, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Try Headbutt," she suggested.

Domino grinned and leaned backwards slightly. He then bent forward and rammed his head into Slaking's side, causing it to flinch slightly. Roaring, Slaking raised its fist for another Ice Punch. Lynnie winced, but as she closed her eyes, she heard Slaking's fist collide with the floor.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and then giggled. Domino had apparently managed to shake out his feet and dodge to the side just in time. Slaking, however, was not nearly as pleased as Lynnie, and had risen onto its feet, glaring down at Domino.

"Oh boy," Lynnie grumbled. "I bet this is my last chance…"

She held her breath as she looked back and forth between Domino and Slaking. Norman was still silent, so she figured Slaking was going to keep up with its Ice Punch. A light bulb suddenly went off over Lynnie's head, and she crossed her fingers, hoping it would work.

"Domino, use Mind Reader and Dynamic Punch!"

Domino got into a fighting stance and focused on Slaking. As he stretched his claws slightly, Slaking roared in impatience and swung forward. Still focusing on the Normal-type, Domino's eyes followed its fist. He then jumped out of the way and almost giggled as the attack hit the floor.

His eyes then narrowed slightly, and as he jumped back, he lashed out with both of his claws to strike Slaking. The attack struck it dead-on in the chest, and Slaking gasped as if it had just gotten the wind knocked out of it. It tottered, and then crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

Lynnie blinked. Was it really knocked out? She and Norman stood in silence for a few moments, and Domino looked confused as well. After a few minutes of Slaking's stillness, Lynnie grinned and spontaneously flung her arms around Domino.

"We did it!" she cheered.

"Bre!" Domino cheered along.

She withdrew him, still grinning, and turned back to Norman. He'd apparently just withdrawn Slaking, but an uncharacteristic surprised look was on his face.

"Uh, Dad? Isn't this the part where you give me the badge and tell me I was great and stuff?"

"I…"

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding on the part about me being great and all."

Norman shook his head. "It's not that! I… I wasn't looking down on you, but… I wasn't expecting to lose to you either!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lynnie demanded, unsure whether to be mad, embarrassed, or gloating.

"You… You've come really far, Lynnie." Norman turned away from her. "But… losing to you… I should be proud, and yet…"

"Just give me the badge, Dad!"

Lynnie clenched her fists as Norman turned back towards her, a strange accepting look on his face. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a Balance Badge and started to hand it to her. Before he could, however, Lynnie grabbed it with shaking hands and ran out of the room.


	33. Intermission: Vs Marshtomp!

_Author's Note_: Whew... This might sound strange, but I just realized that I'm over half-finished with this. Also, this is an intermission because it's kind of a side chapter.

**Intermission: Vs Marshtomp!**

The front door to Lynnie's house slammed open as she entered. She'd ran almost the entire way from Petalburg to Littleroot, and it had taken almost the rest of the day and caused her to be out of breath. Fortunately, it looked like her mother was visiting the Birches, as most of the lights were out.

Lynnie pounded up the stairs into her bedroom, panting as she closed the door behind her and clicked on the lights. She flopped onto her bed and flung her bag onto the floor. It felt odd lying in a bed she'd only used once before, but as she reached down and brushed against the Balance Badge on her bag's strap, she frowned into her pillow, little-used bed forgotten.

Lynnie clenched her teeth slightly. Normally winning was something she'd brag about. However, beating Norman felt different…

"_Losing to you… I should be proud, and yet…"_

"Man," Lynnie grumbled as she sat up. "I don't get it. He's the one that told me to do all that stuff before challenging him and now he doesn't even care."

Crossing her eyes, Lynnie pulled her Pokéballs off of her belt and released her Pokémon. She'd stopped at the Oldale Pokémon Center on the way home, not wanting to use Petalburg's, and her Pokémon were blinking at her tired look.

"Hey, guys," she grinned. "Skipper's the only one who's been here, right?"

"Marsh," Skipper confirmed, looking around the bedroom.

The four other Pokémon followed suit, looking around curiously. Pearl hopped over to Lynnie's dresser, trying to bounce up to the top but failing. Lucky crawled under the bed, pawing through a stray box that was still somehow under it. Oakley watched as Domino shuffled over to Lynnie's desk, pulling a book off of the corner and then moving over to the computer.

Skipper cocked her head as she watched the four, and then looked over to Lynnie. The blonde girl was sitting cross-legged on her bed, leaning back slightly and pursing her lips as she looked up at the ceiling. Curiously, the Water-type hopped onto the bed and tapped Lynnie on the shoulder.

"Tomp?" she asked.

"You know, Skipper," Lynnie sighed. "I really should be glad about winning. But I'm not. Winning against Dad still made me feel like I lost somehow…"

"_I… I wasn't looking down on you, but… I wasn't expecting to lose to you either!"_

Lynnie folded her arms and looked down. Oakley had peered under the bed to watch Lucky crawl out, looking mischievous. Pearl hopped over next to Oakley and poked her head under the bed, apparently not seeing what Lucky found so amusing. Lynnie managed to smile slightly as Pearl pulled herself back up, confused.

Domino shuffled back over to the bed and sprung up next to Lynnie. He grinned as he laid back, making himself comfortable. Skipper then followed his example, curling up on the pillow.

"Hey, guys," Lynnie sighed again. "This is great and all, but… I dunno. I'm not sure."

"Bre?" Domino asked, peering up a bit.

"I mean, I was kinda focused on winning so I could come fight Dad. Now I don't know what to do."

"Trike!"

Lucky puffed himself up slightly as he looked up at Lynnie from the floor. He looked angry, and Lynnie reached down to pat him on the head.

"Contests are fun, but I was kinda doing those on the side… But then I wouldn't get to see Kagurin again if I didn't… Eh."

"Spoi?" Pearl cut in, looking confused.

"Yeah, I haven't had you for very long, right?"

Lynnie frowned suddenly. She looked slowly at her Pokémon, and they blinked at her again. As she looked at Skipper one more time, she realized something.

"I got half of you by accident!" she cried. "I just _happened_ to be walking around when Professor Birch needed help. I just _happened_ to walk under a tree when Oakley fell out. And _I just happened_ to get in a fight with some stupid guy right when Domino walked by!"

Oakley, Domino, and Skipper shared a look. Pearl and Lucky looked at the other three and then each other, sighing slightly.

"And you guys… I had to fight you to get you! Do you even wanna be here?"

"Elec!" Lucky barked, looking startled. He glared at her, static building in his fur. Seconds later, sparks burst around him, and he grinned.

"Lucky…" Lynnie bit her lip. "What about you, Pearl?"

"Oink…" Pearl muttered, thinking. She looked up and asked, "Spoi?"

"Of course I want you, that's not what I meant!"

Pearl blushed slightly and nodded. Lynnie grinned slowly and looked at her other three Pokémon. Oakley shrugged and smiled as if to say "Why not?" Domino sat up and playfully yanked a piece of Lynnie's hair. He giggled as she ducked forward to grab him, and as she did, Skipper jumped onto her back.

Surprised, Lynnie looked over her shoulder at the Water-type. Skipper had poked her head over Lynnie's shoulder, and her fins were holding onto the tops of Lynnie's arms. She nodded at the four other Pokémon and then at Lynnie.

"Skipper…"

Lynnie shifted slightly and reached around, picking up the Marshtomp. Skipper gave her an inquisitive look, and Lynnie gave her trademark grin as she set Skipper next to her other Pokémon.

"All right, guys!" Lynnie cheered. "I won, right? So there's nothing to do… except keep going!"

Her Pokémon cheered in agreement, and Lynnie felt a rush. She wouldn't have felt so confused if she hadn't won. But if she _had_ lost, she wouldn't have spent the time with her Pokémon either, and as Crys had always said, "Not getting to know your Pokémon and realizing they have personalities is the first step on the road to failure."

"Now, Brendan said Route 103 near Oldale cuts to near Slateport… So…"

Lynnie pulled out her PokéNav, and selected the map feature. She quickly found Routes 103 and 110, seeing that Route 103 cut into the western part of Route 110. Remembering that 110 came out to Mauville, she looked to the west of the town's icon, seeing a path leading northeast to another city.

"I think that's Fortree City," Lynnie said to herself, trying to remember where she'd heard the name before. She then lit up, remembering the reporter from her father's interview mention the gym. "Okay, guys! There's a gym in Fortree City, so that's where we're going next, all right?"

"Marsh!" Skipper nodded. Oakley and Domino grinned, while Lucky barked loudly and Pearl slowly nodded as well.

Lynnie grinned as well as she withdrew her Pokémon. She slung her bag over her shoulder and quickly headed back downstairs, but had to double back to turn off her light. Looking at her PokéNav's clock function, Lynnie realized it was almost 9:00, but she wanted to get started on her way to Fortree as soon as possible.

Besides, her mother would probably be getting home soon. While she felt a bit weird about being home without letting her mother know, Lynnie quickly shrugged it off. It would be okay as long as she called her… maybe.

Grinning, Lynnie locked the front door behind her as she left, and quickly darted on the path to Route 101. She knew that path well enough that she'd be to Oldale soon, and then she could stop at the Pokémon Center for the night.

Lynnie's grin widened as she picked up her pace. Her new goal of all eight badges almost caused seemed to be causing her to jog faster...


	34. Chapter Thirty Two: Vs Ludicolo!

_Author's Notes_: So. We get Team Aqua again. And stuff. (pokes TA) And Brendan, because he's awesome like that. Oh, and this is kind of long.

**Chapter Thirty Two: Vs Ludicolo!**

_Welcome to Mauville City!_

Lynnie felt a slight sense of déjà vu as she sat on a bench under Mauville City's entrance sign. She'd spent about half the day getting from Oldale back to Mauville, and her stomach was growling slightly. Taking the Trick House last time had been a major short cut, but this time, she'd gotten to fight a few wild Pokémon.

Sighing, Lynnie stood back up and headed towards the Pokémon Center. After handing her Pokéballs to the nurse, Lynnie went to the cafeteria and fell into the somewhat long lunch line. After taking a usual ham-and-cheese sandwich, Lynnie sat down at one of the few empty tables and propped her feet up on the chair next to her.

Suddenly, a pair of girls sat down at the table behind her, and Lynnie quickly strained to make out what they were talking about. She grinned when she realized they were relaying information to the other girls they'd sat down with.

"So, you know how there's that old weather facility on Route 119?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"We just tried to go up there, and we were bloody kicked out by all these crazy guys, see. They said we were threatening their research or something."

"Well, what were you doing?"

"Just poking around and junk. These guys didn't even look like researchers."

"Man, that's lame…"

Grin widening, Lynnie clicked shut her PokéNav. She'd opened it while the girls had been talking, and, having realized that the Weather Institute they were talking about was on the way to Fortree, decided to check it out as she went.

Pushing in her chair, Lynnie swallowed the last of her sandwich as she returned to the lobby. This was going to be one interesting trip…

- - -

Lynnie pushed under a tree branch on the east end of Mauville. She tripped slightly on a piece of driftwood as she stepped out onto the sandy portion of the route. She was standing on a beach with an ocean to the south, and several other logs and a few tree branches littered the shoreline.

"Well, that was just convenient," Lynnie grumbled.

She weaved around the rest of the scattered wood, and quickly reached a turn to the north. The sand started to fade into dirt, and a long patch of incredibly tall grass spread out in front of her. Lynnie winced slightly, but ducked into the grass all the same, weaving through hit.

After several minutes of winding around—Lynnie was sure she'd gone in circles a few times—she stumbled out onto plain ground. Lynnie sighed in relief and started walking forward again.

Soon, a river curved out across the route, and Lynnie quickly crossed the tall, log bridge. Heights weren't her thing, and it didn't help when she was running across a fast current… Several moments later, she hopped down onto the river bank, grinning.

However, before she had the chance to mentally pat herself on the back, she crashed into something and fell backwards. She scrambled up, glaring, but then crossed her eyes. Lynnie had run into none other than…

"Hey, Lynnie! What was that for?"

Brendan Birch put one hand on his hip as he glared back at her. Straightening his T-shirt, he proceeded to fold his arms across his chest.

"What do you mean, 'What was that for'?" Lynnie demanded, scrambling up. "I should be asking you that! What are you—"

"Fieldwork," Brendan interrupted. "Anyway… You're going to Fortree, right?"

"Yeah. Why?" Lynnie sulked slightly.

"Oh, nothing." Brendan waved a hand dismissively. "Just saw some weird guys out there a little while ago, is all."

"Weird? I've seen a lot of weird people lately…"

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, you're included," Lynnie added, not realizing exactly what she was saying. "Anyway, I'm going to go see what they're up to. Have fun fieldwork-ing!"

"_Fieldwork-ing_?" Brendan gaped. "That's not a word! And what do you mean, 'go see what they're up to'? Do you know what you're doing?"

"Not really." Lynnie shrugged and took a few large steps forward. "But hey, you can't have fun sitting around, you know."

"I'm not sitting around—ugh! You can't just wander off on your own into something stupid like that, you know!"

Brendan rolled his eyes and quickly followed after Lynnie. The blonde girl giggled as Brendan sighed.

"Did I say you were sitting around? And hey, is it just me, or do you get more worked up than you used to?"

"No! And is it just me, or do you have even less common sense than you used to?"

"Maybe," Lynnie answered thoughtfully.

She then, however, winced slightly. A few drops of rain had started to fall, and the soil of the dirt path, while not wet, was slightly moist. Lynnie crossed her eyes, trying to find dry patched to walk on.

"Does it always rain around here?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah," Brendan replied casually. "That's probably why they chose here to build the Weather Institute."

The rain started to pick up a little, and the two trainers groaned. Fortunately, a few minutes later, a multi-level glass building came into view. It overlooked a large waterfall, and several satellites and other instruments sat on the roof. A few men in lab coats were bustling around the front, and Lynnie poked Brendan.

"Hey, I don't wanna get wetter. How are we supposed to get in there with them running around?" she pouted.

Brendan shrugged. "Improvise, duh."

Lynnie shrugged back, and the pair quickened their pace slightly. One of the men turned around and looked at them suspiciously as they got closer to the building.

"You kids got business, or you just gonna snoop?" he leered.

"We've got business, of course!" Lynnie grinned, putting a hand on her hip.

"Oh, really? And what would that be?"

A slight breeze picked up, blowing his coat to the side a bit and revealing a black-and-white striped T-shirt underneath with a blue bandanna hastily shoved into the pocket. Lynnie's grin widened, and she reached for a Pokéball as she looked at Brendan. He nodded and looked back at her, reaching for a Pokéball of his own.

"Like taking out you guys," Lynnie answered, tossing out her Pokéball. "Go, Skipper!"

"Come on, Sceptile!" Brendan called.

The Marshtomp and the Sceptile materialized next to Lynnie and Brendan. The disguised Team Aqua grunt sneered, beckoning to the other two men. They each pulled out a Pokéball and released a Carvanha.

"Water Pulse!" they called simultaneously.

"Sceptile, use Iron Tail," Brendan countered.

"Follow with a Mud Shot, Skipper!"

The Water-types shot spirals of water towards Sceptile and Skipper. At the last second, Sceptile flipped around, its tail glittering and hardening, and rammed the appendage into the oncoming attack. The water dispersed and shot slightly towards the three grunts, stunning them. Skipper then launched the Mud Shot at one of the Carvanhas, sending it flying into the other two.

"Come on," Brendan beckoned. "While those guys are surprised…"

"Got it!"

Lynnie and Brendan darted towards the sliding doors of the Weather Institute, recalling Sceptile and Skipper, while the grunts tried to orient themselves. Slipping in, Lynnie squeezed a bit of the rain out of her hair as Brendan smoothed out his clothing.

"Whew," Lynnie sighed. "Maybe they'll let us take a nap here or something…"

"But there has to be something those guys were hiding," Brendan frowned.

"Like what?"

The two had apparently come into the lobby of the building, but it was completely deserted. Even the front counter was abandoned, and a couple computer desks in the back were unoccupied.

"Probably something upstairs."

"Well, since we're already here…"

Lynnie grinned and headed towards the staircase in the back of the room. Brendan, however, grabbed her by the collar before she reached it.

"You don't just run into that!"

"Yes I do," Lynnie replied. "Besides, you followed me here, right? And helped me KO those guys? So technically you ran into it too."

"…You know, that really shouldn't make sense, and yet somehow it does," Brendan sighed. "All right, let's go check it out."

Lynnie grinned again and darted up the stairs. They were somewhat long and winding, and when they came out on the landing, they were apparently in a very busy office room.

Several more Team Aqua grunts were stationed around the room, most of them not bothering to close their lab coats all the way, thus partially revealing their uniforms. However, two seemingly upper-rank members who weren't wearing lab coats had cornered a small group behind a partition.

Lynnie and Brendan ducked behind a row of computer desks and other machinery and sneaked past the grunts. A few moments later, they came into earshot of the two admins.

"Look, guy, we're not doing this to mess up your research or whatever," the woman grumbled, running a hand through her wild red hair. "We just want those Pokémon you've got."

"But the Castform we have… They're an important part of out research!" one of the scientists cried. "You can't just take them!"

"For the millionth time, we need them more than you do!" the large male admin growled. "Just because you don't understand our noble ulterior motive…"

"…doesn't mean they'll let you get away with stealing," Brendan finished as he and Lynnie stood up.

"How'd you get in?" the woman sighed. "Oh well. You're just children. You'll be easy to dispose of. Matt?"

"Yes, Shelly?"

"Let's toy with them a bit. Show the scientists what it means to resist. If things look bad, you know what to do, right?"

"What to do…" Matt's brow furrowed, and then he brightened. "Oh! Of course I know what to do."

Lynnie turned to Brendan. "What the heck are these people babbling about?"

"Who knows," Brendan shrugged. "Anyway, we can at least distract them for a minute, right? Let's go."

"Right."

Lynnie and Brendan reached for their Pokéballs, and the Aqua admins chortled. Shelly carefully pulled a Pokéball out of her vest, while Matt tossed his from hand to hand.

"I don't want to draw this out, dears," she mocked. "Go play somewhere else, okay?"

Matt continued chortling, and Lynnie and Brendan rolled their eyes.

"Right," Brendan replied. "Well, how about you show us how it's done, then? I'm sure while you're doing that, those guys over there that you were threatening will have time to get away."

"And since we don't know what we're doing, it'll be easy for you, right?" Lynnie added.

"Why, you…! Go, Ludicolo!" Shelly hissed.

Matt suddenly had to fumble to release his Pokémon. "Come out, um… Azumarril."

A large yellow Pokémon with a lily pad on its head materialized next to Shelly. Matt, meanwhile, sent out a round blue Pokémon with long ears and white spots.

Brendan and Lynnie nodded to each other, and then made eye contact with the group of scientists. The man who'd cried out earlier nodded back to them, and then started whispering to the rest of the group. As Lynnie and Brendan each grabbed one of their Pokéballs, the scientists began taking their own Pokéballs and moving them near a mechanical transporter.

"Okay, come on, Pearl!"

"Let's do this, Pelipper!"

Pearl appeared near Lynnie while the large Water-and-Flying-type appeared next to Brendan. Pelipper flapped its wings slightly while Pearl bounced around on her spring.

Shelly snickered. "Ludicolo, use Ice Punch on that Spoink."

"Uh… Ice Beam, Azumarril!"

Lynnie smirked. "Use Bounce, Pearl!"

"Pelipper, use Aerial Ace," Brendan finished.

Ludicolo swept forward, small ice crystals appearing on its fist. Pearl, however, sprung out of the way, and came crashing down onto the bigger Pokémon. The Grass-type stumbled backwards slightly just as Azumarril launched its Ice Beam.

Unfortunately for Ludicolo, it didn't dodge in time, and it was frozen into place by a small block of its partner's ice. Pelipper then dove forward towards Azumarril, striking it with its wings. Azumarril tried to roll out of the way, but it dodged a second too late and fell to the floor.

"All right, Shock Wave!" Brendan and Lynnie cried together.

Sparks formed at Pearl's pearl, while Pelipper opened its beak and formed a ball of electricity. The two Pokémon simultaneously launched their attack at Azumarril, and it went tumbling backwards, looking like it was on the verge of fainting.

Pearl quickly discharged a few sparks remaining on her pearl, and the electricity shot at the Water-type. Azumarril finally collapsed, and Matt grunted in surprise, trying to poke it back awake.

However, he blinked when Pearl started glowing. Obviously, he assumed she was going to launch another attack, and Lynnie almost thought the same. Instead, when the light faded, a taller Pokémon with large ears and round legs appeared in Pearl's place, swinging her chubby arms in as threatening a way as a pig could.

"Grumpig!" she cried.

"What the…!" Shelly grumbled, smacking a palm to her forehead. "What's with these kids? That doesn't matter. Matt, punish them!"

"I… I can't!" Matt shouted, still prodding Azumarril.

"Oh, you are so useless! You have muscles, you know," Shelly grunted disdainfully, and then turned towards the group of scientists. "Hey. You guys. We're not through here. You still have those Pokémon we want, and we're not leaving…"

"…_with_ them," one of the scientists smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shelly demanded.

"Our plan worked, that's what," Brendan replied simply. "They're gone. While we were fighting, the scientists used their computer to transport them to a Pokémon Center or somewhere a bit more protected."

"That battle… was a decoy?" Shelly said in disbelief. "I don't… believe it… That was… Ha! If you two weren't such brats, I'd make arrangements to get you in Team Aqua!"

"Don't worry, we don't want to anyway," Lynnie shrugged. "Isn't that right, guys?"

Pearl and Pelipper cried out in response, while Brendan simply nodded proudly. Shelly growled, recalling her still-frozen Ludicolo. After a few moments of blinking, Matt realized what was going on and recalled Azumarril.

"Don't think we're leaving because you 'beat' us in a battle," Shelly hissed. "It's only because the Pokémon we want are gone. But believe me… If you cross us again, we're skipping the ridiculous formalities and pounding right on you."

"And pound you," Matt repeated, not realizing that was what Shelly had just said.

"Idiot. Let's get out of this trash heap, you ape."

Shelly snapped her fingers, and Matt slowly pulled a round object out of his vest pocket. When he dropped it, smoke filled the room, and after much coughing and waving, the smoke dispersed, the admins and the few grunts had vanished.

As Lynnie and Brendan withdrew Pearl and Pelipper, the scientists approached them. One of them extended his hand, and Lynnie and Brendan shook it.

"Thank you, sincerely," he said. "We didn't know what to do when those people showed up demanding our Castform… They cornered us, and we weren't thinking clearly at all."

"Heh… Well, we kinda just happened by," Lynnie grinned.

"More like you just ran headfirst up here."

"Hey!"

"Well, whatever the circumstances, we owe you," another scientist went on. "We don't have much, but there is a back room where we sleep if we stay late. You can stay the night here if you want, until the rain clears up."

"All right!" Lynnie cheered.

"You just want the nap…!" Brendan cried.

The scientists burst into laughter, and Lynnie grinned sheepishly. Brendan merely sighed as he followed the group into the scientists' rest room, shaking his head at their extreme enthusiasm…


	35. Chapter Thirty Three: Vs Altaria!

_Author's Notes_: …Did anyone else find the layout to Fortree City to be weird? Maybe I would have liked it better if the gym wasn't down in a pit when everything else was on a platform. Oh well. Winona's cool, even if her Altaria is hard to beat. This is a pretty long chapter, too.

By the way, ahead of time, Mosquo is pronounced "Mosko." It's supposed to be like mosquito, without the "it."

**Chapter Thirty Three: Vs Altaria!**

"Hey. Lynnie."

"Nng…"

"Lynnie!"

Lynnie sat up, eyes still closed. When she opened them, she blinked. Brendan was glaring at her, hands on his hips.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Nothing. One of the scientists just came up here—again—to see if you were okay. It's ten and you're not really awake yet."

"Oh. Right," Lynnie yawned, the previous day's events coming back to her. She climbed out of the borrowed bed, trying not to trip on the sheets, and smoothed the covers rather quickly. She then looked back at Brendan. "What now?"

"It's crooked."

"…Who cares?"

"Never mind," Brendan sighed. "Hey, you coming downstairs, or you wanna stay here all day?"

"Coming," Lynnie grumbled.

Still somewhat sleepy, Lynnie trailed down the staircase after Brendan, her fingers barely brushing over the banister. When they arrived downstairs, the scientists looked up from their computers and grinned.

"Are you leaving already?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, we have to," Brendan shrugged.

"Well, thanks again. Feel free to take one of the snacks on the counter," a female researcher added.

"Yay! Thanks," Lynnie cheered.

The scientists laughed and turned back to their computers as Lynnie and Brendan headed towards the front of the lobby. Lynnie snagged a bag of chips off of the reception counter before she and Brendan pushed open the sliding glass door. Brendan sighed as Lynnie crunched the chips rather loudly.

"Do you have to… Oh, never mind," he cut himself off. "Anyway, hey. Here's something…"

"A present?" Lynnie grinned, popping another chip into her mouth.

"Not really. It's just something I don't need."

Brendan dug into one of his pockets, and pulled out a jagged green stone. A leaf was imprinted onto it, and Lynnie crossed her eyes as he handed it to her.

"That's not a very pretty present," she commented, but slipped it into her bag anyway.

"I told you it's not a gift!" Brendan groaned. "It's a Leaf Stone. I found it around here yesterday, but none of my Pokémon needed it. Give it to someone else you know if you don't want it."

"Okay." _Crunch_.

"Ugh—oh, never mind," Brendan muttered. "Hey, I've got a bit more fieldwork to do. Catch ya later, Lynnie."

"See ya."

Lynnie crunched another chip as she watched Brendan turn away, and then crumpled the empty bag into her pocket. She then turned away as well, taking her PokéNav off of her bag's strap for a quick check of the map. Fortree was just a little bit more north of the Weather Institute, and Lynnie grinned.

_This should be quick,_ she thought, clipping her PokéNav back onto her bag and breaking into a jog.

- - -

"What the…?"

Lynnie stumbled to a stop as she arrived near the western edge of Fortree City. The town was outlined neatly by trees, and when she ducked through the branches, she blinked.

Trees _still_ surrounded her, and nearly every building (including the Pokémon Center) had been built on platforms constructed around the tree's upper branches. Wood-block ladders allowed climbing, but there were just vines in other places. Some of the platforms formed bridge-like structures due to their trees being close together, while some were just placed wherever there was a tree available.

A few other houses had been built under trees with large, spidery roots, and they had slanted, shelter-like doorways. Lynnie crossed her eyes, imagining living in a cave.

Shaking her head, Lynnie quickly located the Pokémon Center and climbed up the long ladder, managing to only scrape her knees a few times. Panting, she pulled herself up onto the platform, and slid open the Pokémon Center's door. She grinned sheepishly as she handed her Pokémon to the nurse—she was giving Lynnie's knees an incredulous look—and scurried over to the cafeteria.

Fortunately it was rather empty, as Lynnie had gotten there late. She grabbed a ham-and-cheese sandwich out of the lunch bar, and unwrapped the plastic wrapper as she headed over to a table. However, soon after she sat down and took a bite, a shadow loomed over her table.

"Hey, girlie. You entering the contest?"

"Contesh?" Lynnie repeated, mouth full, as she looked up.

A lanky, tanned boy with brown hair and eyes dressed in tan clothing was leering down at her, tossing a Pokéball from hand to hand. He snickered as his eyes fell on her scraped knees.

"Oh, you must be an out-of-towner. Well, you need a Flying Pokémon to enter, but I guess you didn't know _that_ either. Sign-ups are prob'ly almost finished anyway. Maybe you could _learn_ something if you watched."

With that, the boy turned around and left. Lynnie crossed her eyes as she watched his retreating back, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Jerk. What was that all about? I don't have a Flying-type… Maybe I'll watch anyway though."

Lynnie stood up, taking a few more bites of her food as she wandered over to the trash can. Throwing away her wrapper, she walked back into the Pokémon Center's lobby. She grabbed one of the Pokémon Journals off of the magazine rack and sat down to read it, bored, as she waited for her Pokémon to be healed…

- - -

"Welcome to Fortree's sixth bi-monthly flying contest!"

After much wandering around, Lynnie had found an open-roofed building with stained-glass windows shaped like various Flying Pokémon. She'd had to push through a slight crowd to enter, but despite the large number of people at the entrance, she'd managed to get a good spot in the bleachers surrounding the arena-styled stage.

A small group of people had gathered on the stage, along with a lanky announcer with long curly hair. As the woman bowed and grinned to the audience, Lynnie suddenly frowned. She felt like she was watching a coordinator's contest and not getting to enter, she thought sulkily.

"Let me introduce out contestants!" the announcer called. "First is our very own Gym Leader, Winona, with her Altaria!"

A young woman in a blue-and-white flying suit with long purple hair smiled politely as she reached for her Pokéball. She released a large blue Pokémon with fluffy wings that cried eagerly as it looked at the crowd.

"Our second entrant is Lena Redwood with Masquerain!"

A short red haired girl winked confidently as she released her Pokémon. A large bug Pokémon hovered next to her, its angular wings beating quickly to keep itself in the air.

"Third up is Esmeralda Dawson with Xatu!"

Esmeralda brushed her neon-green-highlighted hair out of her face ash she quickly released the Flying-and-Psychic type. It looked neutrally up at the crowd as Esmeralda grinned.

"Fourth is Violet Harrison, along with Crobat!"

A pale girl with short lavender hair slowly released the bat Pokémon. It glared slightly as Violet bowed.

"And finally, our last contestant is Jason Mosquo with Ninjask!"

The brunette boy Lynnie had met earlier in the Pokémon center smirked as he dramatically tossed out his Pokéball. A large, fly-like Pokémon buzzed around him, its wings moving almost too quickly to be seen.

"All right! Let's kick it with the first part of our show. Contestants, prepare for the aerial appeals!"

Silence fell over the audience as the five entrants briefly talked to their Pokémon. Soon enough, the announcer waved at the crowd again. She then gestured towards Winona, and the Gym Leader smiled politely again.

"Let's see what Winona's come up with!"

Winona nodded to Altaria, and the Dragon-type flapped its wings, raising itself into the air. It then twirled through the air, doing several aerial cartwheels. After straightening itself back out, Altaria slowly hovered back to the stage, descending in a spiral pattern.

As the crowd whistled, the announcer pointed towards Lena. "All right, now let's see what Lena's Masquerain can do!"

Lena snapped her fingers, and Masquerain beat its wings slowly. Silver powder formed around it, and it spun around inside the gust for a few moments. The audience clapped as Masquerain grinned.

"All right, Esmeralda and Xatu…!"

- - -

"Congratulations to Winona and Jason with their superior aerial appeals!"

Lynnie's attention suddenly snapped back as the audience cheered. She'd admittedly started daydreaming about getting to challenge Winona during Esmeralda's appeal. Sheepishly, Lynnie clapped along with the rest of the audience, while the three other entrants dutifully shook Winona and Jason's hands.

"All right, these top two will compete for the aerial attack section. The superior one here will be the overall winner," the announcer called. "The goal will be to accurately hit a moving target. Will Winona keep up her title from the previous three tournaments…?"

The audience cheered again, and Lynnie grinned. If Winona was that good, it would be fun to challenge her later.

"All right! Welcome our two lovely aides!"

Two women carrying discuses entered the stage, and the audience clapped politely. They bowed and then turned to face Winona and Jason.

"Ready… Set… Go!"

The aides tossed their discuses in perfect arcs. Winona and Jason watched carefully with Altaria and Ninjask, and then suddenly called out attacks simultaneously.

"Dragon Breath!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Altaria delicately blasted the spark-like attack towards its disc, while Ninjask shot out the Shadow Ball quickly. The Shadow Ball struck the discus on one side and cracked it in two, and the uneven halves crashed loudly to the floor. Altaria's attack, however, evenly hit its discus, turning it into dust which fell gently to the floor.

The audience cheered loudly, and Winona bowed. Jason's eye twitched, but he was soon forgotten. The announcer shook Winona's hand, beaming broadly.

"And there you have it, folks! The favorite this time is obviously Winona again! Great job, Leader!"

"You're welcome," Winona replied quietly.

The audience then filed down the bleachers, and a few of them stopped to wave to Winona or congratulate her. The Gym Leader nodded politely to all of them, and Lynnie dashed had to dash around a few people to get to her.

"Winona! My name's Lynnie Maple, and I'd like to have a Gym Battle with you!"

The auditorium suddenly fell silent enough to hear a pin drop. Turning around, Winona blinked but then smiled.

"Well, I don't see why n—"

"Leader Winona! She can't just barge up to you and…" Esmeralda started.

A sudden influx of protests arose, and Lynnie crossed her eyes. What was the big deal? Had she dropped food on herself at lunch or something?

Winona suddenly raised a hand, and the crowd instantly silenced. "It's all right. Lynnie, right? I should be ready in around twenty or thirty minutes. Do you think you can find the gym in that time?"

"Of course I can!" Lynnie answered.

"All right. I'm looking forward to it."

Winona turned and gracefully walked out of the auditorium. Despite getting a few more strange looks, Lynnie hurried on out as well. Knowing her sense of direction (or lack thereof), it would probably actually take almost that long to find the gym.

Quickly climbing down the ladder outside, Lynnie consulted the more detailed version of her PokéNav's map, and quickly wove around the trees to find the gym…

- - -

Twenty-seven minutes later, Lynnie was panting at the base of a large tree. A small wooden sign hung on it beside the ladder, reading "Fortree City Gym above."

After catching her breath, Lynnie started climbing up the ladder. When she arrived at the top, she blinked. It was just a plain platform, with two small risers on either end of an arena and an equally small rustic shack on one edge. Several moments later, Winona opened the shack's door, apparently having heard Lynnie climb to the top of the platform, and smiled tentatively.

"This may look odd," she said, "but it's… good for my birds."

"But what if someone falls?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

Winona laughed gently. "This is what my risers are for. If you stand there, you don't have to worry about anything. And besides… This is high enough that even if you did fall, you'd land on one of the tree branches."

"Oh. Right."

"Anyway… How does a four-on-four match sound to you?"

"Perfect!" Lynnie grinned.

"All right. I'll start with Pelipper."

Winona carefully took the Pokéball off of her belt and released her Pelipper. Lynnie grinned, remembering Brendan's Pelipper and that it was half-Water-typed as well, and grabbed Lucky's Pokéball without thinking.

"Go, Lucky!"

The Electrike materialized next to her, and looked surprised when he saw the Pokémon across from him. He then barked at Lynnie, looking angry.

"Oh, um…" Lynnie crossed her eyes again. "Hey, this'll be easy for you, you have a double advantage." She then whispered, "I promise to use you in the next contest I enter!"

Lucky barked again, this time sounding slightly pleased. He then turned back to look at Pelipper, his fur bristling.

"Water Pulse, Pelipper," Winona called.

"Lucky, use Quick Attack!"

Pelipper stretched out its beak and shot a spiral of water towards Lucky. The Electrike, however, quickly darted out of the way and dashed towards Pelipper, ramming into it. The Flying-type stumbled slightly, but didn't seem to take much damage.

Pelipper then blasted another Water Pulse at Lucky, hitting him head-on and sending him flying backwards a few feet. Lucky skidded to the riser Lynnie was standing on, and fell over onto his side. Lynnie blinked for a moment, thinking Lucky had fainted, and reached for his Pokéball.

However, the Electrike pulled himself up, sweating slightly as he growled. He barked loudly at Pelipper, and his fur started to stand on end. As he released the static into a Spark, he continued bristling and started to glow.

Still growling at the (literally) shocked Pokémon, Lucky was still sparking slightly as the glow faded. His green fur had turned blue, and a large yellow mane stuck out of his head.

"Manectric!" he barked.

"Pel?" Pelipper blinked along with Winona.

"All right, Lucky, use Charge and Spark again!" Lynnie cheered.

The Manectric's fur bristled, and the Spark discharged from his mane. Pelipper tumbled backwards, collapsing next to Winona. The Gym Leader smiled as she withdrew Pelipper.

"You're pretty good," she complimented. "But…"

She pulled another Pokéball off of her belt and released Altaria. The blue Dragon-type fluffed its wings and calmly looked at Lucky.

Lynnie smirked. "Fine, then. Lucky, try Rain Dance and Thunder!"

Lucky barked, and the sky started to darken. A few drops of rain began to fall, and Lucky's fur began to spark. Altaria still looked calm, however.

"Altaria, use Dragonbreath."

Altaria slowly breathed the attack at Lucky. The Manectric quickly tried to launch the Thunder, but the Dragonbreath hit him first, seeming to numb him slightly. He still managed to pull off the Thunder, but his aim was off a bit and he only partially hit Altaria.

The singed Dragon-type stumbled a bit, but blasted another Dragonbreath at Lucky. He didn't manage to dodge, and this time he skidded back towards Lynnie again and didn't get back up.

"Aw, sorry, Lucky," Lynnie mumbled as she withdrew him. "Eh… I'll go with Pearl."

She quickly released the Grumpig, and Pearl bounced from foot to foot as she looked at Altaria. The Dragon-type flapped its wings slightly weaker than before but still looked calm. Lynnie crossed her eyes, but an idea came to mind.

"Try Shock Wave, Pearl!"

Sparks darted out of the pearls on Pearl's stomach, and the lingering rain from Lucky's attack helped carry the Shock Wave to Altaria. Altaria winced as the attack hit, but managed to recover quickly.

"Altaria, try an Ice Beam!" Winona suggested.

Altaria leaned forward slightly as it shot the attack at Pearl. The Grumpig tried to duck out of the way, but a second too late. Altaria's Ice Beam hit her on the side, and she was quickly frozen to the platform.

"Grum?" She blinked.

"Eh, you tried," Lynnie grinned. "Come on."

She withdrew Pearl and paused before reaching for a new Pokéball. She still had Oakley, Domino, and Skipper, but wouldn't be able to use one of them due to the four-on-four match.

_Wait_, Lynnie thought suddenly. _Ice Beam…?_

"Come out, Skipper!"

The Marshtomp crouched as she appeared next to Lynnie. Altaria was now panting, and Lynnie's grin grew. It had taken a while, but at least now she had a chance.

"Hey, Skipper, can you try an Ice Beam?"

Skipper nodded, and paused as she opened her mouth. However, she managed to shoot off an Ice Beam, and Altaria was too tired to dodge. It was half-frozen to the platform, and Winona smiled gently as she withdrew it.

"You're still doing pretty well," she said. "But you only have one left. Try your best on Tropius!"

Winona released a large Grass-Type Pokémon that reminded Lynnie of a Meganium with leafy wings. Tropius dismissively looked down at Lynnie and Skipper, but Lynnie shrugged. Ice Beam would probably still work fine.

"Ice Beam, Skipper!"

"Magical Leaf, Tropius." 

Skipper shot another Ice Beam towards Tropius, but it managed to lift itself into the air just in time. It then tilted itself forward and shot crescent-shaped leaves from the plants on its neck. The Marshtomp crouched again, but there were too many of the leaves, and the attack still hit. Skipper tumbled backwards and landed next to Lynnie. She pulled herself up and managed to stand up for a few seconds, but then toppled over again.

Lynnie winced. "Sorry, Skipper."

"Marsh…" Skipper panted.

Lynnie withdrew Skipper and randomly reached for a Pokéball. She closed her eyes as she released her next Pokémon, and when she opened them, Domino was bouncing around in front of her.

"Try Sky Uppercut, Domino!"

"Bre!"

Domino grinned as he dove forward. He ducked slightly and then leapt into the air, his claw outstretched. Tropius, however, flapped its wings a bit more and rose just out of reach. The Fighting-Type tumbled back down and crashed onto the platform, wincing.

"Okay, Tropius, try an Aerial Ace!"

Tropius spiraled downwards towards Domino, stretching out its wings. It then turned onto its side when it was just above Domino, striking him with his wings. Domino rolled over, sighing as he closed his eyes.

"Uh…" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "But… Ice Beam! And…"

"It's all right, Lynnie," Winona said reassuringly, withdrawing Tropius. "You did your best. You always have tomorrow to try again."

"I know, but…" Lynnie frowned as she withdrew Domino."

"Actually, you did pretty well. Some people don't think to use Ice Beam on Altaria."

"Okay," Lynnie sighed. "I'll be back tomorrow! And I'll win then!"

Winona laughed. "We'll see. Good bye, Lynnie!"

"Bye!"

Lynnie edged to the ladder and quickly climbed down. When she reached the bottom, she sighed and crossed her arms, heading towards the Pokémon Center. However, she brightened up again when she thought of challenging Winona again later…


	36. Chapter Thirty Four: Vs Tropius!

_Author's Notes_: Fairly shorter than last chapter… But that pesky Altaria's back! Fun. (Yes, I like Altaria. I just hate Winona's.) Oh, and some nifty stuff with Oakley happens…

**Chapter Thirty Four: Vs Tropius!**

"Aw, man. Where was the Pokémon Center again?"

Lynnie grumbled to herself as she took what seemed like the millionth wrong turn. After leaving the gym, she'd wandered around for a few moments before finally deciding to go to the Pokémon Center, and was now lost.

However, soon she spotted a figure reclining on a tree trunk not too far away, and grinned. She normally hated asking for directions, but she was starting to get tired. Lynnie scurried over and tapped the gray-haired woman on the shoulder.

"Um, hey, I'm looking for the Pokémon Center," she started sheepishly. "Could you…"

The frail-looking woman wrinkled her nose slightly as she looked at Lynnie. Crossing her eyes, the blonde wondered if she'd said something wrong. Instead, though, the woman seemed to be studying her.

"You…" the woman whispered, stretching out her fists. "Can you guess? I've got a coin in one hand."

"You'll tell me if I guess right? Okay, worth a try… I'm pretty good at these things…"

Lynnie blinked at the woman's hand for a moment, and then tapped the right one. The woman flipped her fist over and uncurled her fingers, revealing a small gold coin.

"Not bad, child. Can you guess again?"

Lynnie sighed, but nodded. The woman put her hands behind her back for a moment and then stretched out her fists again. Looking between them for a second, Lynnie decided on the right again, and was once again shown the coin.

"Once more…"

_Oh, for the love of Lugia, this is getting old,_ Lynnie thought impatiently. "Okay…"

After a moment, the woman extended her fists again. Lynnie almost instinctively reached for the right hand again, but then suddenly changed to the left. The woman smiled crookedly as she revealed the coin one more time.

"Good, good," she nodded. "You're the first one in a while to get all three tries right. You must have good internal balance."

_Me? Balanced? Yeah right…_ Lynnie giggled, but said aloud, "Hey, thanks. Now, uh…"

"In fact, I bet your Pokémon do too," the woman went on. "Shall I see…?"

"Um, sure."

Lynnie quickly took Oakley's Pokéball off of her belt—the Nuzleaf was her only Pokémon that hadn't gotten worn out from her battle with Winona earlier, after all. The Grass-type materialized next to Lynnie, blinking nonchalantly and rocking back and forth.

The woman smiled and nodded, slowly putting a hand on Oakley's head. Oakley's eyes half-closed into semi-circles, and she glowed slightly. Lynnie blinked as the woman took her hand off of Oakley.

Then, the Nuzleaf spread her arms out, and the glow around her turned blue. She opened her mouth slightly and shot a thin beam of ice to the ground, looking pleased.

"Hey, that was awesome, Oakley! Do it again!" Lynnie exclaimed.

Nodding, Oakley slowly shot another mock-Ice Beam to the ground, causing a small patch of grass to freeze. The woman smiled again.

"Ah, Hidden Power is such an amazing move. It truly is unique. Your Nuzleaf seems to have a lot of inner power indeed…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

However, by the time Lynnie looked up to where the woman had been, she was already gone. Frowning, Lynnie waved her arms frantically.

"Hey, now what? How am I supposed to find the Pokémon Center?"

"Nuz…?"

Oakley looked up and pointed at the platform above them. Lynnie took a few steps backwards and looked up as well, and then smacked her forehead with her palm. She'd been _right under_ the building the whole time.

"Well, I guess Oakley learned something cool… And I actually did find the Pokémon Center… All right, come on, Oakley!"

Lynnie withdrew the Nuzleaf, and climbed up the wooden ladder. She managed not to hit her knees as much this time, and she sighed when she finally got to the top of the platform.

"Okay," she panted, sliding open the glass door. "Finally… got here…"

She grinned as she handed her Pokémon to the nurse, and then headed to the cafeteria. Fortunately, the line wasn't too long, and she grabbed a plastic-wrapped sandwich, peeling off the wrapper as she sat down to eat.

"I think… I just may have a plan for tomorrow," Lynnie said to herself, taking a bite of her sandwich as her grin grew.

- - -

The next morning, Lynnie untangled herself from her sleeping bag, blinking as she yawned. After turning in the sleeping bag, she grinned and headed to the cafeteria. The bonus to sleeping as late as she did was that the breakfast line was usually short.

Lynnie grabbed a pair of biscuits and ate one slowly as she sat down. Propping her feet up on the chair next to her, she started on the second one. Looking around, she noticed only a few other trainers, most of them clustered towards the back of the room.

After finishing her biscuit, Lynnie stood up and stretched. She then left the cafeteria quickly, grinning as she started towards the glass door of the Pokémon Center. Opening the sliding door, she managed to climb down the ladder in record time, miraculously without hitting her knees.

Lynnie suddenly blinked as her feet hit the ground. Where exactly was the gym again?

"Oh, right, it's on the opposite side of town," Lynnie grumbled, suddenly remembering. "Great."

Sighing, she hurried down the path from the Pokémon Center, ducking under a tree branch as she took a turn…

- - -

Lynnie proudly checked her PokéNav's clock as she arrived under the gym's platform. This time she'd managed to find it in less than twenty minutes, but just barely. Clipping her PokéNav back onto her bag's strap, Lynnie grinned and started climbing up the gym's ladder. Half way up, she paused to catch her breath, and then started climbing again.

A few minutes later, Lynnie managed to pull herself up onto the gym platform and sighed. Looking around, she spotted Winona sitting on the opposite edge, looking up into the sky with her arms leaned back behind her. Lynnie blinked, contemplating running up behind the Gym Leader and tapping her on the shoulder.

However, Lynnie stepped on a slightly weak piece of wood as she started walking towards Winona, and it groaned when she put her foot down. Winona suddenly looked over her shoulder, and smiled as she stood up.

"Good morning, Lynnie," she called. "I was hoping you'd be back soon."

"Good, 'cause I'm ready to go!" Lynnie grinned.

"All right. Is four-on-four still fine with you?"

"Yep!"

Winona nodded, and the pair turned to their respective risers. The lavender-haired woman pulled a Pokéball off of her belt and carefully tossed it out to release her first Pokémon.

"I'll start with Tropius this time."

The Grass-type materialized in front of Winona, and Lynnie's grin widened. She reached for Oakley's Pokéball and quickly released the Nuzleaf.

"Then I'll start with Oakley!"

Oakley rocked back and forth slightly as usual as she looked up at Tropius. Yawning, the larger Pokémon looked back at her, blinking.

"Okay, Tropius, let's start with Steel Wing." 

"Oakley, try Hidden Power!"

Tropius slowly flapped its wings and lifted itself into the air. It then tilted itself forward, and its wings started to harden as it flew towards Oakley. Closing her eyes, Oakley spread out her arms again and paused as Tropius came a bit closer to her. She then shot the small ray of ice at Tropius, who tumbled backwards through the air, obviously thrown off guard.

When Tropius thudded on the platform, amazingly landing on all fours, a thin layer of ice was covering the front of its chest and neck, and it was panting slightly. Lynnie crossed her eyes; Tropius probably could still go on for a little while, but she might be able to get it out soon, too.

"Now use Faint Attack, Oakley!"

"Go with Headbutt, Tropius!"

Oakley darted forward and crashed into Tropius. It winced, but managed to lower its head and ram into Oakley. Stumbling backwards, Oakley nearly fell over, but managed to get back up.

"Now use Hidden Power again," Lynnie called.

Once again, Oakley half-closed her eyes and leaned forward as she opened her mouth. As she shot the beam of ice at Tropius, it tried to twist out of the way, but it didn't manage to duck in time. The attack hit it head-on, and Tropius wobbled before hitting the platform with a thump.

Lynnie barely resisted cheering as Winona recalled Tropius, as it had made her lose last time. Of course, Winona could always send out her last Pokémon that Lynnie hadn't seen yet…

"I'll go with Skarmory next." 

_Wow, I was right?_ Lynnie blinked as Winona released the large metal bird Pokémon. The sunlight glinted off of the tips of its sword-like wings, and Lynnie gulped slightly.

"Well… Hidden Power will at least help a bit. Use that, Oakley!"

"Aerial Ace, Skarmory."

Oakley tried to aim her attack at Skarmory, but it rose into the air surprisingly quickly. It then dove down towards her, flapping its wings forward and poking her with their edges.

"Nuz!"

The Nuzleaf cried out in surprise as the attack hit, and she stumbled backwards. However, Skarmory was still a bit above Oakley, and crashed into her one more time. As it got up, Oakley didn't even sit up.

"Aw, man, sorry Oakley," Lynnie grumbled, withdrawing her. "That was lame of me… At least you got Tropius. But…"

_If I don't want to use Lucky too much, then who… Ok yeah, Pearl!_

Lynnie released the Grumpig again, and she bounced eagerly from foot to foot. She looked carefully at it, but it smirked at her.

"Okay, Pearl, let's do a Shock Wave!"

"Agility and Drill Peck, Skarmory!"

Skarmory ducked slightly and darted towards Pearl, beak outstretched. However, Pearl managed to shoot the sparks out of the pearls on her stomach, and when they collided with Skarmory, it stumbled backwards. The electricity crackled slightly as it hit Skarmory's metal body, and it shrieked.

Pearl quickly launched another Shock Wave at Skarmory, and since it was still recovering, it couldn't dodge. Skarmory wheezed slightly, but somehow it was still barely hanging on.

"Should've known… Pearl, use Psybeam!"

"Use Swift, Skarmory."

The Psychic-Type shot twin rainbow-colored beams out of her eyes at Skarmory. It tried to counter by weakly blasting a few stars out of its mouth, but they faded quickly. The Psybeam still hit it, and it finally collapsed.

"All right…" Winona calmly withdrew Skarmory. "You remember what my other two are, right? Well, I'll save Altaria for last. Go, Pelipper!"

Lynnie grinned as she looked at the materializing Pokémon. She'd get it easily enough with Shock Wave… She then blinked at Pearl, however. The Grumpig was starting to look a bit tired, not from injuries but just from battling for a while.

_Okay, maybe I __**will**__ need a third Pokémon… But I wanna use Pearl as long as I can…_

"Let's try Shock Wave one more time, Pearl!"

Pearl panted, but still managed to fire the Shock Wave at Pelipper. It didn't hit dead-on, though, but still seemed to do a decent amount of damage. Pelipper winced and shook itself, a bit singed.

"It's time to use Water Pulse, Pelipper."

Pelipper stretched open its beak and shot the spiral of water at Pearl. She didn't duck in time, and the blast sent her flying. Seconds later, she landed near Lynnie, knocked out.

"Well, we've both lost two…" Lynnie grinned as she withdrew Pearl. "This is getting exciting. I think I'll go with Domino."

Lynnie released the Breloom, and he grinned as he jumped quickly between feet. Pelipper still looked totally calm though, just like Winona.

"Domino, use Headbutt!"

"Aerial Ace, Pelipper."

Domino lowered his head and charged. Fortunately, he managed to ram into Pelipper before it could get into the air, and the head butt made it flinch. Lynnie grinned, deciding to go on and get it out; it looked almost ready to faint now.

"All right, now use Sky Uppercut!"

Domino nodded and sprung forward, hooking his claw under Pelipper and blasting it up into the air. The Flying-Type crashed back down to the platform, panting.

Winona smiled gently as she withdrew Pelipper. "You're still doing well, but…"

She released Altaria again, and the blue-and-white Pokémon delicately cleaned its wings as it materialized. It then carefully looked up at Domino, and the Grass-Type seemed to shrug.

"Dragonbreath, Altaria!"

"Sky Uppercut again!"

Domino charged towards Altaria, his claw stretched out slightly. Altaria, however, calmly waited for Domino to get closer, and then breathed the attack at him. The spark-like breath struck Domino, and he stumbled backwards, looking a bit numb.

Altaria then launched another Dragonbreath, easily hitting the Breloom. He wobbled slightly and fell over, wincing.

"Aw…" Lynnie sighed as she withdrew Domino. "All right. For my last one… I'll choose Skipper!"

The Marshtomp crouched as usual as Lynnie released her. Altaria still looked relatively clam, but it did start flapping its wings slightly.

"Okay, Skipper, let's go with Ice Beam!"

"Altaria, use Aerial Ace!"

Altaria started flapping its wings faster and managed to lift into the air. As it started flying towards Skipper, she quickly shot the Ice Beam at it. However, instead of tumbling backwards, Altaria's momentum caused it to keep falling forward, and it still crashed into Skipper.

The Dragon-Type slowly pulled itself to its feet, as did Skipper. Both Pokémon looked a bit wobbly, and Lynnie and Winona both held their breath. Altaria crashed to the ground first, and then Skipper collapsed as well.

"Well… I guess Altaria technically fainted first," Winona said, laughing slightly as she withdrew the Dragon-Type. "I must say, that was unexpected.

Lynnie grinned as she withdrew Skipper. "It was pretty close though."

"But it was rather impressive, especially with your Nuzleaf," Winona complimented. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a teal, wing-shaped badge. "Here. You've earned this Feather Badge."

"Cool!"

Lynnie clipped the badge onto her bag's strap below her Balance Badge, her grin widening. Winona smiled back at her as she looked up.

"Congratulations, Lynnie."

"Thanks! Well, I've got to get back to the Pokémon Center… Bye, Winona!"

"Goodbye, Lynnie. Good luck!"

Lynnie waved as she headed towards the gym's ladder. Climbing down, she paused half way to look at her new badge again. Grinning again, she hurried down the rest of the way, eager to find out where the next gym was…


	37. Chapter Thirty Five: Vs Heracross!

_Author's Note_: Safari Zone, good times… After having countless Pikachus and Pinsirs run away from me… Yeah. Anyway. Now Lynnie gets to try her luck there…

**Chapter Thirty Five: Vs Heracross!**

"Where do I go from here again?"

Lynnie checked her PokéNav one more time as she left Fortree's Pokémon Center the next morning. Looking at the map display, she saw a route leading southeast from there to a city called Lilycove. Grinning, Lynnie clipped her PokéNav back onto her bag's strap as she started weaving through the trees.

"I wonder if there's a Gym there… Or even a Contest Hall," Lynnie wondered aloud.

As she dodged a vine, she hoped for a Contest Hall. It had been a while since she'd run into one, after all.

Eventually, Lynnie stumbled out of Fortree City's near jungle onto a fairly clear area, signaling she'd just left the edge of the city. Sighing in relief, Lynnie took a turn to the left and started walking again. She then crossed her eyes; a bit further on the route, there was more super tall grass similar to the grass near the Weather Institute.

"Oh well," she grumbled.

Taking a deep breath, she ducked forward, parted the grass, and started tripping through it. Eventually, Lynnie eventually came out near a bridge crossing a steep cliff that dropped into a river. Gulping slightly, she tiptoed across it (the bridge thankfully didn't sway... too much), and slowly made her way across.

"This route is not good for me at all…"

With that said, Lynnie promptly ran into something and crashed to the ground. Looking around impatiently, she didn't see anything at first. She then suddenly saw a red zigzagged line floating in front of her, and blinked.

Grabbing a nearby fallen tree branch, Lynnie slowly poked the red line. Suddenly, something very sticky lashed out and struck her face.

"Gross!"

Lynnie quickly rubbed her cheek with the back of her sleeve, and as she did so, a green lizard-like Pokémon slowly materialized in front of her. A red zigzag pattern was on its stomach, and Lynnie groaned.

"What the heck is that thing?"

"Kec… leon!"

With a startled cry, the Kecleon turned and fled across the bridge in the direction of the tall grass. Lynnie grumbled under her breath as she stood up, still wiping the side of her face. Eventually she sighed and tried to forget about the Pokémon as she started walking again.

Unfortunately, every time she saw the vaguest flash of red—usually something like a plant or some other wild Pokémon—Lynnie instinctively covered her cheeks with her hands.

Consequently, when Lynnie eventually reached a right turn, she was paying more attention to the area around her knees (for more Kecleons) than to the area directly in front of her. She smacked her forehead on a large cement building and stumbled backwards, crossing her eyes. As she looked up, blinking, she also noticed a tall, metal fence enclosing a large pasture behind said building. Cocking her head to the side, Lynnie rubbed her forehead as she read the sign near the door: "Safari Zone entrance."

"He-ey… Safari Zone… Johto doesn't have a Safari Zone… Does it?"

Lynnie muttered to herself as she twisted the door knob and entered the building. It was rather simple on the inside, with a plain tiled floor, a registration counter, and a door to an office in the back.

As she approached the desk in the back, the man behind it suddenly snapped awake. He grinned sheepishly as he held out a clipboard.

"Excuse me, miss, we need a record of everyone who comes in and out. For safety reasons."

"Okay…"

Lynnie quickly signed the clipboard, and the man handed her a set of five special, green Pokéballs. When she crossed her eyes again, the man explained.

"Safari Balls. They're to help keep tabs on who's been capturing what out of here. And we can't have you catching too many of the Pokémon. They're all rare, see. Any other questions?"

Lynnie grinned. "Nope! I'm ready."

"All right. Go 'til you're outta Safari Balls. Have fun."

"Yeah, _he_ sounds _really_ excited," Lynnie grumbled, as she turned to the door at the side of the room.

Turning the knob, Lynnie pushed open the door with her shoulder, and therefore stumbled slightly as she entered the Safari Zone. She sheepishly scratched the back of her neck as she looked around. Several paths branched off of the main area she was in, and a pond was in the distance.

Pausing, Lynnie pulled a coin out of her pocket and flipped it—heads for north, tails for east. When it hit the ground, Lynnie dusted it off, revealing the heads side up. Pocketing it, Lynnie hurried towards the north path, hoping she'd run into something rare.

Suddenly, something rustled in the bush next to her. Lynnie grinned, quickly tossing out a Safari Ball. However, the ball glowed and then shattered, and Lynnie blinked.

A Girafarig ambled out of the shrubbery, its tail head narrowing its eyes. Lynnie groaned, grabbing another Safari Ball. However, the tail head glared again, shattering the new ball as it ambled away.

"That's not fair! Come back!" Lynnie wailed.

However, before she had a chance to grab another Safari Ball, the Girafarig was already gone. Shaking her head and muttering under her breath, Lynnie started walking again.

Soon, she reached a somewhat steep trail leading up a mountain. Sighing, Lynnie took a few large steps, stumbling a few times but eventually managing to get a good footing.

"There better be something good up here for all this effort," she grumbled.

As she scrambled to the top of the path, Lynnie brushed herself off and looked around. She'd arrived on a somewhat flat area, with a sandy area to the right and a grassy area to the left. She immediately grinned and ducked into the tall grass.

Moments later, Lynnie crossed her eyes as she nearly tripped on something. A large, blue, beetle-like Pokémon was curled up near her feet, and it slowly opened its eyes from the surprise trip. The Heracross just as slowly picked itself up, and as it blinked, it started to glare and got into a fighting stance.

"Oh great," Lynnie grumbled.

She quickly reached for a Safari Ball and tossed it towards the Heracross. It quickly managed to duck, and as the ball caught on its horn, it rose upwards, knocking the ball away.

Lynnie blinked, and then crossed her eyes. She grabbed another Safari Ball—she only had one left after this—and threw it towards the Heracross as well, crossing her fingers. However, Heracross easily knocked the ball away with its horn again, and then ducked back into its fighting pose.

Gulping, Lynnie reached for one of her own Pokéballs, but then stopped. Was she even allowed to use her own Pokémon? Breaking the rules here would probably get her in a lot more trouble than it did at school, after all…

Taking advantage of Lynnie's pause, Heracross charged forward with its claws raised. Lynnie instinctively reached for her last Safari Ball, and as she raised it, Heracross's claws got stuck in the release button. The surprised Bug-type stumbled backwards and waved its claws around, trying to dislodge the Safari Ball.

Lynnie giggled slightly. Her luck had hit again, and the Safari Ball had ended up protecting her, even if it had broken.

"Wait, what?"

Lynnie blinked. That _had_ been her last one, after all…

"So much for luck!" she cried.

Just after Lynnie's outburst, Heracross managed to dislodge its claws from the Safari Ball, breaking it in the process. It looked over at Lynnie again, and the girl gulped.

"I'm sorry! I'm leaving! Don't hurt me!"

Lynnie backed up slowly, and then turned around and dashed away. Heracross simply stared at where Lynnie had just been, and then shook its head. Shrugging, it turned around, bored now, and ducked back into the tall grass…

Minutes later, Lynnie was back at the Safari Entrance, resting against the building and panting. She then sighed. It hadn't even been an hour, and she was already out of her Safari Balls.

Sighing again, Lynnie turned the door's knob, and leaned against it again to close it all the way. The man at the counter suddenly snapped back to attention as she came in.

"You finished already?" he yawned.

"More than," Lynnie mumbled

She hastily scrawled her name on the sign-out sheet before the man could remind her. Crossing her arms over her stomach, she turned back towards the front of the building, and started walking out.

Lynnie leaned against the building for a moment when she got out, just to catch her breath all the way. As she straightened back up, she took her PokéNav off of her bag's strap to double-check the map. She promptly grinned as she clipped it back onto the strap.

The display had shown Lilycove City just a short distance to the east. Picking up her pace, Lynnie started jogging in the direction of the city, eager to find out what lay ahead…


	38. Chapter Thirty Six: Vs Gorebyss!

_Author's Notes_: Lilycove City! My favorite after Lavaridge… Contests, shopping, and a _really_ lame art museum. Heh. Anyway, here's a mass amount of characters returning, and typical clueless antics on Lynnie's part.

...I got this chapter done amazingly quickly. Maybe it's because I got to use Brendan and Kagurin again. I dunno. Anyway, expect another chapter this weekend as usual.

**Chapter Thirty Six: Vs Gorebyss!**

"Finally!"

Lynnie sighed in relief. After a few hours of wandering around past the Safari Zone, she'd come to a neatly-trimmed, fence-lined path. The path had soon led to a largely paved city with tall skyscrapers and several other huge buildings.

Upon squinting, Lynnie could see a slate-blue building in the distance, with a flat, guarded rooftop. A large navy-and-white banner draped from the guardrail read "Lilycove Department Store." She grinned instantly. That had to be her first stop—her Pokémon were still in pretty good shape, so a visit to the Pokémon Center could wait.

The blonde girl dashed around the street corners, trying to get to the Department Store more quickly. The sidewalks were pretty crowded, though, so it still took her several minutes to get there.

Lynnie's grin broadened when she finally reached the Department Store, and she paused to catch her breath. She then hurriedly reached for the one of the door handles, prepared to yank it open. However, before she could do so, the door opened for her, and she stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Hey, Lynnie. Doing some shopping?"

Brendan Birch gave a grin to match the one Lynnie had just had as he shifted a large shopping bag to his left arm. Lynnie scrambled back up and dusted herself off, grinning sheepishly.

"Duh! Hey, what's that? _Pokédolls_?"

Brendan's face reddened slightly. "No! I'm just picking some stuff up for my dad!"

"Professor Birch likes Pokédolls?"

"I told you, they're not—hey, what?"

"What are you looking at?"

Lynnie turned around and blinked as a blur of red and black darted towards her. Before she could open her mouth again, she was practically tackled to the ground.

"Lynnie, dear! It's fabulous to see you again!"

"Ack! Johnny…?"

Lynnie blinked again, still sitting on the sidewalk as she looked up at the redhead. Johnny smirked and nodded.

"I'm flattered. You remember me! But you never told me you had a _boyfriend_!"

"B-boyfriend?"

Mortified, Lynnie and Brendan blinked at each other as Lynnie stood up. They then both turned to Johnny (Brendan still looked a bit confused) and simultaneously started speaking.

"She's not my _girlfriend_!"

"He's my _neighbor_!"

"Oh, neighbors? How sickeningly cute."

Another familiar voice rang through the air, and a pit formed in Lynnie's stomach. A short, skinny brunette girl with a spiky ponytail sauntered over to Johnny and smirked even wider than he had. She lowered her sunglasses slightly and leered over them at Lynnie.

"That's what they all say, isn't it, Lynnie Maple?"

"Lynnie… Who are these people and why is she glaring at us?" Brendan muttered.

"To the second question, I don't know," Lynnie whispered back. "But to the first one…"

"Oh? My name is Lydia Beech, little boy," Lydia replied, putting one hand on her hip. "Remember it!"

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Okay. But why—"

"There's a Contest Hall here, of course! Oh, sorry, I was just over at the Art Museum down the street, you know, and I saw you guys over here, so I decided to join in the conversation."

A tall girl in a red jacket and white hat scratched the back of her neck as she approached the group. Lynnie lit up instantly.

"Kagurin!" she cheered.

"Hey, Lynnie," the brunette grinned.

"Excuse me for getting lost about a mile or two back," Brendan interrupted. "But you still haven't told me why all these people are here."

"Did you not just hear her? There's a Contest Hall here," Lydia sniffed. "The Grand Festival starts _tomorrow_. I'd be _amazed_ if Lynnie could still sign up. They only take a hundred, and people have been coming in since last week."

"Well, I signed up just now," Kagurin shrugged. "And they still had about fifteen slots left. I guess Lynnie's waiting 'til the last minute like a lot of people. Right?"

"Wait… What's a Grand Festival?"

Silence suddenly descended on the group. Even Brendan looked amazed that she didn't know, and he didn't even coordinate.

"Lynnie, dear, the coordinator's Grand Festival is held every spring here in Lilycove," Johnny explained patiently. "You have to have three ribbons to enter, and it's run a bit differently than a normal contest."

"Oh. Okay! I'm going to go sign up, and—"

"_Hold it_!"

Lynnie blinked and turned back around obediently. Lydia had crossed her arms over her chest, and looked like she was glaring again.

"Johnny and I _both_ have three ribbons now, so you'll have to get through us at the contest. In the final ranks, they do double-battles, and even though you're technically fighting by yourself, there's no way _you_ could get through it."

"Of course I could!" Lynnie replied. "Just watch me tomorrow!"

"I don't think you're ready," Lydia sneered.

"You're just scared I'll beat you!"

"Now, now, ladies," Johnny cut in. "There's no need to…"

"Of course, you're _absolutely_ right, Johnny. We'll see once and for all, right now, if Lynnie's capable of a double battle. It'll be us two versus her and her little boyfriend!"

"I'm not her boyfriend! And my _name_ is _Brendan_!" Brendan protested.

"What about me…?"

Kagurin cupped her chin in her hand, looking thoughtful. She then grinned, however, looking like she'd just had a brilliant idea.

"Oh, I know, I'll be the _judge_! I've always wanted to do that! I don't have one of those little flags, though…"

"Does that really matter?" Brendan's eye twitched. "Let's just get this over with."

"Okay," Kagurin sighed. "All right! It's time for the double battle between Lynnie and Brendan, and Lydia and Johnny. They're allowed…" She paused, but then started quickly again. "One Pokémon each, no substitutions. Wow, this feels awesome…"

Brendan rolled his eyes as he reached for a Pokéball. Lynnie promptly grabbed Skipper's Pokéball, and Johnny and Lydia grabbed Pokéballs as well.

"Go, Angelica!"

"Come on, Huntail," Johnny winked.

"Skipper, go for it!"

"I'll test out Tropius."

A blue, eel-like Pokémon materialized next to Johnny, while Lydia released a similar but pink Pokémon. Skipper crouched as she appeared next to Lynnie, and Brendan released his new Tropius. Lynnie grumbled under her breath, remembering Winona's Tropius, but focused on the Huntail and Gorebyss pair. She then nodded at Brendan.

"Lead with Rock Tomb, Skipper!"

"Help her out with Razor Wind!"

Skipper obediently narrowed her eyes and lowered her fins to the ground, and as she raised herself up, several large boulders formed around her. As she hurled them towards Huntail and Gorebyss, Tropius flapped its wings, forming a trio of small whirlwinds. The Razor Wind helped carry the Rock Tomb towards Huntail and Angelica, but Lydia smirked to Johnny.

"Ice Beam," they commanded simultaneously.

Huntail and Angelica quickly formed Ice Beams and shot them towards the Rock Tomb. The boulders froze in place and then shattered, the fragments falling to the ground. Lynnie felt her jaw drop, but then quickly closed her mouth.

"Skipper, use Whirlpool and Mud Shot!"

"Hey, wait—Tropius, use Razor Wind again!"

Skipper quickly formed the Whirlpool and shot it towards Huntail and Angelica. The pair was soon trapped in the vortex, and Skipper fueled it with a Mud Shot. Tropius then beat its wings rapidly and whipped up another Razor Wind. Its attack caused the whirlpool to spin faster, and soon Huntail and Angelica flew out of the top of the water column.

Lynnie crossed her fingers as the pair tumbled to the ground. Huntail weakly tried to get up, but collapsed, while Angelica weakly rested her head on the pavement. Skipper grinned as the two other Water-types fainted, but seemed to be sweating slightly.

Before Lynnie could blink, a bright flash surrounded Skipper. Then, a much taller Pokémon with larger fins and gills stood in Skipper's place, but she was still wearing her typical curious smile.

"Johnny's Huntail and Lydia's Gorebyss, Angelica, have both been knocked out! Lynnie and Brendan win," Kagurin called, looking proud of her announcing job. "And Lynnie's Marshtomp, Skipper, has evolved into Swampert!"

A slow clapping rang out from behind them, and the group blinked collectively. It wasn't until then that they realized that a small group had formed behind them. They were right in the middle of the street, after all…

Lynnie then grinned and bowed, and Brendan reluctantly bowed as well. Lydia stood agape, and then tugged on Johnny's sleeve.

"Johnny! Do you see that? Do something about it! Their love beat ours!"

"Lydia, some things are better left alone. Like their apparently _non-existent_ relationship, mmkay?"

"Y-you're siding with _her_ over _me_?"

"No, I…"

"This is great, guys, but Lynnie needs to sign up for the contest still, right?" Brendan suddenly reminded the group. He then turned to the small assembly and gave a confident wave. "Hey, everyone, come out to the Grand Festival tomorrow!"

The group cheered, and Brendan grinned. He then turned to Lynnie as the four of them withdrew their Pokémon.

"Pretty good, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah. Now let's hurry!"

Lynnie dashed away from the Department Store, shopping all but forgotten as she searched for the standard Contest Hall. Brendan and Kagurin were close behind her, followed from a safe distance by Johnny and Lydia…

- - -

"My, my, this _is_ a close call. This is form ninety-nine."

Lynnie was panting as she filled out her form at the Contest Hall's reception counter. The pink-suited attendant had an amused look on her face as she watched Lynnie. Sighing, Lynnie hastily filled out the paper, remembering how lucky it was that Lilycove's Contest Hall was so huge; otherwise, it would have taken longer to find.

She paused when she reached the bottom of the page. There were the typical lines for Appeal and Battle Pokémon, but there was one thing different… "Battle Partners" was listed instead of "Battle Pokémon." Lynnie quickly wrote _Lucky—Manectric_ on the appeal line, but had to think before putting down her battle partners.

Skipper had done well in the battle just then, and she _had_ evolved too, so Lynnie grinned as she put down _Skipper—Swampert_, almost having to correct herself. On the second line, she wrote _Oakley—Nuzleaf_.

"All right, thank you! We'll be starting our first round tomorrow at twelve. Be on time, please!"

Lynnie nodded sheepishly, and the group turned away from the counter.

"So, uh, are we staying at the Pokémon Center tonight?" she asked.

"Well, we are a rather large group, so… I dunno," Brendan commented.

"You're staying too?" Lynnie blinked.

"Hey, this only happens once a year! Dad's going to understand."

"Wait, guys! There's this nice hotel in the upper side of town," Kagurin cut in excitedly. "And they have group discounts! I think."

"Yeah, they do," Johnny added. "I've checked it out before, but I've never stayed there."

"…Hmph," Lydia mumbled. "And we live around here, so we _might _be able to convince them to give us an extra discount."

"Awesome! To the hotel!" Lynnie cheered.

It was on that note that the five ambled out of the Contest Hall, laughing and talking excitedly.


	39. Chapter Thirty Seven: Vs Volbeat!

_Author's Notes_: Yay, lots of fun stuff is in this long chapter. That would include Scott, a new character, and appeals… (Actually, I was going to type just a bit more, but then the chapter ended up being like, fourteen pages without this note, so… Yeah.)

**Chapter Thirty Seven: Vs Volbeat!**

"How far away _is_ this place?"

The group had been wandering away from the Contest Hall for about fifteen minutes, and Brendan and Lynnie were both starting to get impatient. Brendan, however, had spoken up first, and Lydia rolled her eyes at him.

"Calm down, little boy. It'll only be a few more minutes."

Lynnie giggled, but Brendan scowled. So far, he and Lydia had not made a single pleasant remark to one another, and it was almost amusing.

Soon, a relatively small two-story building came into view. It was brown brick with tan, decorative shutters and a dark brown roof. Although it was extremely small compared to the rest of Lilycove's buildings, a wooden sign with old-fashioned lettering announced it as "Cove Lily Motel."

"Hey, it's kinda cute," Kagurin commented.

"_Cute_? It's classy," Lydia responded haughtily.

Kagurin shrugged to Lynnie while Lydia opened the motel's wooden door. They had to file in one by one, and when they entered, they were standing in a small lobby. An elderly man behind the reception counter smiled jovially as he waved them over.

"Good afternoon! Do you need two rooms? How long are you staying?"

"Two nights," Johnny answered quickly, and instantly reached into his pocket for a few bills.

"All right then. With a small group discount, that'd be…" The man jotted down a few numbers on a notepad nearby, and then grinned as he looked back up. "One thousand Poké, sir."

"A thousand?" Lynnie whispered.

"Well, counting the two nights, that's only like, a hundred for each of us, which is pretty good," Brendan explained.

Meanwhile, Johnny rifled through his multiple pockets until he found a few more wadded up bills. He recounted the total as he handed the money to the receptionist, and the man handed Johnny a pair of card keys.

"Okay, you have rooms 6A and 6B to the right. Have a good evening!"

As they rounded the corner to the right, Lydia heaved a dramatic sigh. Lynnie and Brendan raised an eyebrow at each other as they looked at her.

"I suppose I'll have the unfortunate distinction of sharing a room with you, Lynnie Maple."

"…What do 'unfortunate' and 'distinction' mean?"

"Well," Kagurin started, "'unfortunate' means that she's really unlucky, and 'distinction' means… um… that's a good question, actually!"

Brendan rolled his eyes, and for once, Lydia seemed to agree with him as she snorted. Johnny had amazingly kept a low profile the entire time, but suddenly cut in at this point.

"Oh, my. I can't have you arguing, dears. Stress isn't good right before a contest."

"That's right!" Lydia promptly agreed. "Especially such a high-profile one."

"…No comment," Brendan muttered in disbelief.

Soon, however, they stopped in front of rooms 6A and 6B. The two rooms were next to each other, and each had a wooden door with a silver handle and key scanner. Johnny pulled the card keys out of his pocket and handed one to Lydia.

"Do keep good track of it, dear," he winked.

"Of course I will."

Lydia smirked as she scanned 6A's card, and soon the lock clicked open. Johnny then scanned 6B's card, and an identical click sounded a moment later. Brendan shot Lynnie a resigned look as he followed Johnny into the room. The blonde just giggled, however, as she, Kagurin, and Lydia entered their side of the suite.

Stopping short as she entered, Lynnie blinked. The room was a lot nicer looking than she'd expected. Two large mahogany beds with a few too many pillows were on the back wall, and a couch was near the lacy-curtained window. A large-screen TV, vanity, and mini-fridge completed the set.

"See? I told you it was classy," Lydia bragged. "The bathroom's there, by the way, and I get the couch."

"Whatever," Lynnie mumbled.

Kagurin, meanwhile, was peeking in the direction that Lydia had pointed in for the bathroom. A silver-handled door similar to the room's entrance was on the right wall near the TV. As she opened the door, the opposite on creaked open, and the brunette was blinking at Brendan.

"That's ironic," Brendan commented.

Kagurin giggled slightly. "But fun!"

"If you say so."

Brendan then closed his door, as did Kagurin. She then looked over at Lynnie, shrugging, and pointed to the room's front door.

"Wanna go look around some more?"

"Okay!" Lynnie grinned, but then frowned. "As long as Lydia lets us back in later."

"I'm not that petty," Lydia snorted. "Besides, if I locked you out, I wouldn't be able to beat you in a proper match tomorrow anyway."

Lynnie resisted the urge to come up with an equally insulting phrase and instead simply crossed her eyes at Lydia as she followed Kagurin to the door. The taller girl looked down at Lynnie as she closed the door.

"Are you hungry? Wanna look for a snack machine or something?"

"Yay! Snacks!"

Kagurin laughed again as she and Lynnie headed down the hallway. Eventually, a sign at the corner read "Right: Vending machines, forward: cafeteria, left: pool/game room."

"There's even a pool?" Kagurin blinked.

"Who cares about a pool? I want chocolate!"

Lynnie grinned as Kagurin quirked an eyebrow and followed her to the vending machines. After digging around in her pocket for a few seconds, she inserted in a few coins, and waited for her chocolate bar to drop down. Then, Kagurin put in a few of her own coins and selected a soda.

The two opened their snacks as they turned back to the main hallway. Lynnie eagerly took a bite of her chocolate as Kagurin took a drink of her soda. As the brunette screwed the lid back on the bottle, Lynnie took another bite, but unfortunately was not paying attention to what was in front of her.

"Wait, Lynnie, watch out—"

"Whoa!"

Lynnie stumbled backwards as she collided with something. She frowned as she scrambled back up, prepared to complain to whoever had decided to put whatever it was she'd run into in that spot. However, she frowned as she realized she'd run into a _person_ instead of a _thing_.

"Hey, you look familiar. Do I know you?"

The brunette man paused, pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. After a moment of silence, he seemed to recognize her, too.

"Oh, yeah. Was it in Rustboro last time?"

"Aha! Scott!" Lynnie grinned triumphantly.

"Wait, you know Scott too?" Kagurin blinked.

"Wha-huh?" Lynnie blinked back.

There was another moment of silence as the three stared at each other. Finally, Kagurin scratched the back of her neck and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah. After I managed to win Slateport's contest, I met Scott. Too bad he wasn't at the one you won, Lynnie… But I ran into him again when I was in Fallarbor Town."

"Well, _I_ met him in Petalburg and Rustboro, and he was _mean_ to me both times," Lynnie sulked. "Hey! Look at this, Scott!"

Lynnie shifted, adjusting her bag's strap so Scott could see all five of her badges. He nodded appraisingly, and Lynnie almost swore he was smiling for once—almost, anyway.

"Not bad. Looks like you're a lot better than that time when you failed Roxanne's test."

"Hey!"

"But…" Scott paused, looking like he'd just remembered something. "Kagurin, did you just say 'the one you won'?"

"Yep!" Kagurin grinned. "Lynnie coordinates too!"

"_And_ I'm entering the Grand Festival," Lynnie added proudly. "I hope you're there when I sweep it tomorrow!"

"My, my, aren't we confident?" Scott chuckled. "But that's the whole reason I'm in town, is to watch the Grand Festival. Good luck, girls."

With that, Scott sauntered towards the cafeteria. Lynnie sighed, shaking her head as he left, and turned back to Kagurin. She scowled slightly as she spoke to the older girl.

"Why do I get the feeling he just made fun of me again?"

"I dunno," Kagurin said thoughtfully. "Hey, we better get back to the room, so we can go to bed early."

"Okay, okay. Let's go."

Folding her arms over her stomach, Lynnie swallowed the last bit of her chocolate bar as she followed Kagurin back to Room 6B. Somehow, however, the chocolate tasted unusually ominous, but Lynnie shook off the feeling…

- - -

"Don't bother."

"Hey, that's kind of mean…"

The next morning, Lynnie woke up to voices. She, Lydia, and Kagurin had fallen asleep soon after she and Kagurin had returned to the room, and now it was fairly early in the morning. Lynnie blinked as she sat up, staring at the other two girls.

"Um, hi?" she said blearily.

"See? I told you not to bother," Lydia sniffed.

"Never mind," Kagurin sighed. "Anyway, I think they started serving breakfast already, so I was about to wake you up."

"Yay! Breakfast!"

"Um, Lynnie?"

Lynnie blinked and turned around as she reached the door. Lydia snorted, and Kagurin scratched the back of her neck.

"You might want to change out of your pajamas."

Lynnie felt her face redden slightly. "I, uh… knew that."

Lydia rolled her eyes as the blonde grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom…

- - -

When Lynnie, Kagurin, and Lydia managed to get through the breakfast line (it had been pretty long), there unfortunately weren't many free tables left. However, Johnny quickly stood up from a table off to the side and waved, grinning broadly.

"Good morning, dears!"

Lydia returned the grin as the three sat down, and Brendan snorted. He'd already been sitting with Johnny, and he picked at the last of his scrambled eggs as the three girls dug into theirs.

"What took you all so long?"

"_Lynnie_ just woke up," Lydia replied.

"Hey!"

Lynnie threateningly raised her fork, but Kagurin poked her in the shoulder first. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie looked over at the older girl, confused.

"You have a piece of egg on your cheek, Lynnie."

"…Oh."

Lynnie quickly wiped the egg off of her face, prompting sarcastic laughter from both Lydia and Brendan. However, she just as quickly finished off her food, and got up to throw her plate away in an attempt to ignore them.

When she went back to the table, Kagurin and Lydia were giggling while finishing off their eggs, and Brendan was quite red in the face. Johnny looked immensely pleased with himself, and had leaned back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head. Brendan coughed rather conspicuously as Lynnie sat down.

"What?" Lynnie blinked.

"Nothing," Brendan insisted.

"Oh, but you're _embarrassed_," Lydia sneered.

"I actually didn't mean to start this, but carry on, dears. It's somewhat amusing."

"Amusing? You're just having fun at my expense!"

"Uh, Kagurin? What's going on?" Lynnie whispered.

"Johnny just asked how long you guys have been neighbors, and then Lydia started teasing Brendan," Kagurin whispered back.

"Oh."

"Hey! What time do you guys need to be at the Contest Hall, anyway?" Brendan suddenly demanded. "It's eight o'clock already!"

"Well, the contest starts at, like, noon, so I'd guess eleven," Kagurin shrugged.

Brendan groaned and rested his head on the table. As he started to mutter something incomprehensible, Lynnie poked him.

"We can't hear you."

Brendan slowly lifted his head. "I said, go to the game room or something!"

"Oh, perfect! We can get you two back for yesterday," Lydia smirked, standing up and grabbing Brendan by the wrist.

"No, I didn't mean me too…!"

The rest of the group laughed as Brendan protested, and needless to say attracted quite a few stares as they dragged him out of the cafeteria.

- - -

"Hah. That's four out of five."

Lynnie smirked as she and Brendan beat Lydia and Johnny at another round of ping pong. Kagurin looked up from the arcade monitor she was at, blinking.

"So they did win once then, right?"

"Only once! Don't rub it in!" Lydia shot back.

"Lydia, darling, I don't think that's what she meant."

As Johnny winked at Lydia, Brendan rolled his eyes to Lynnie. "This is getting sickening."

Lynnie started to nod, but then stopped suddenly. "Hey, does anyone have a watch?"

Brendan pulled his PokéNav out of his pocket and flipped open the screen. After pushing a few buttons, he changed it to the time display, and shrugged.

"Ten thirty."

"Well, what are we waiting for, then? We've got to hurry to the Contest Hall," Lydia insisted, putting her hands on her hips. "Come on!"

"But—" Lynnie started.

However, the rest of the group followed after Lydia as she strode out. Sighing, Lynnie followed after them, irked at the idea of getting anywhere so early…

- - -

"Here we are."

Lydia had a smug look on her face as they arrived at the Contest Hall. Lynnie blinked, crossed her eyes, and then started speaking.

"Um, but we were just here yesterday. We've already seen it."

"Quiet," Lydia sniffed. "You're ruining the moment."

Lynnie and Brendan sighed and exchanged glances as Johnny quickly opened the door. Lydia entered first, smirking, and the rest of them filed after her. When they arrived in the Contest Hall's huge lobby, dozens of other coordinators were already there, standing in groups or with their Pokémon.

"Hey, guys, let's let our Pokémon out too!" Lynnie grinned.

She took out Lucky's Pokéball and released the Manectric. He sniffed the air suspiciously as Johnny, Lydia, and Kagurin released their Pokémon. Johnny's Volbeat and Lydia's Illumise flitted around their trainers, humming, while Kagurin's Whiscash looked up curiously.

Lucky then barked suddenly and dashed in the opposite direction from the group. Gasping, Lynnie darted after him.

"I'll be right back, guys!"

She eventually caught up to Lucky after several minutes of darting around the crowded lobby. The Electric-type had his nose to the floor and was still sniffing around in front of him. He suddenly looked up and narrowed his eyes in the direction of a Gardevoir.

"Lucky, what are you doing?"

"Manec!" Lucky barked again.

The Gardevoir turned around and blinked calmly, and a few seconds later, its trainer followed suit. Cocking her head to the side, the blonde girl blinked as well, and then realization seemed to sink in.

"Oh, hello, Lynnie. It's been a while."

"Adrian?"

The other girl ran a hand through her short hair and grinned. "Yeah. It took me a while, but I did manage to beat the Slateport contest. Your friend Kagurin beat me the second time I entered."

"Aha ha…" Lynnie laughed. "Um, anyway, so I'm guessing you have three ribbons."

"Of course. Gardevoir here has improved his combos a lot, and…"

"His?" Lynnie blinked.

"Yes, Lynnie," Adrian frowned. "By the way, I suppose you're using your Manectric for appeals?"

"Duh!" Lynnie replied, and Lucky barked proudly.

"Hey, Adrian! I was wondering where you'd gotten to!"

A slim girl with short turquoise hair approached Adrian and Lynnie, and Lynnie crossed her eyes. Adrian looked apologetically at Lynnie as she explained.

"This is my sister Fran. I've just been showing her around. I'll see you when appeals start, okay?"

"Okay, bye, Adrian!"

Lynnie waved as Adrian and Fran left, and then turned around. Surprisingly, Brendan, Kagurin, Lydia, and Johnny were only a few feet away.

"We were wondering where you'd gotten to," Kagurin explained.

_Where did I just hear that…?_ Lynnie wondered. However, she said aloud, "Oh, sorry."

"Well, you all better get back stage. I'm gonna hurry up and get a good seat."

Brendan grinned as he jogged away from the group. The four coordinators sighed, and then started searching for the backstage hallway. Eventually, they found the curtained door in the back of the lobby, and Johnny bowed.

"Ladies first."

"Whatever," Lynnie mumbled.

However, before she ducked through the curtain, another voice rang out behind her.

"Hey, Kagurin."

"Shuki, you made it!" Kagurin cheered.

Turning around, Lynnie saw a short, brunette boy who looked similar to Kagurin. Even his red jacket and white hat resembled Kagurin's usual outfit. He folded his arms over his chest as he spoke again.

"Mom and Dad lent me Dodrio to get here," Shuki answered briefly. He then looked at Lynnie, albeit out of the corner of his eye. "Hey. You're Lynnie, right?"

"Um, yes?"

Shuki paused before talking again. "…Your hair is funny."

Lynnie fumed as Kagurin, Lydia and Johnny started giggling. Turning around, she stormed through the coordinator's hallway towards the backstage area…

- - -

"Aw, come on, Lynnie. Shuki's always like that."

Moments later, Kagurin, Lydia, and Johnny had joined Lynnie backstage. Lynnie had crossed her arms and pursed her lips, and refused to respond to Kagurin. Lucky cocked his head as he looked up at her, and the three other coordinators sighed.

"Whatever," Lydia said sarcastically. "Just get over yourself before appeals. I want to show you up in a _real_ match."

Lynnie still remained silent. Giving up in boredom, Lydia promptly turned to Johnny, and the pair wandered a few feet away. Kagurin, however, casually sat down on the table next to Lynnie and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey. Appeals _are_ starting soon, you know. It's almost noon."

With that, a drum roll was heard on stage, and a few streaks of light from the spotlights could be seen from behind the curtain. Then a microphone audibly turned on, and the announcer's voice rang out.

"Welcome to this year's Grand Festival!"

The audience cheered in response. When they quieted down, the announcer spoke again, her voice rising with each word.

"As usual, we'll start with an appeal round to narrow down our contestants! We'll then resume tomorrow with the appeal finals and a double battling round!"

More cheering came from the audience, and Lynnie began to feel better. Once she got on stage, with all the audience paying attention to her, she'd feel better still. Plus, she'd managed to catch a peek of the auditorium, and it was open-roofed and oval-shaped, like an arena, so she'd have more room for combos.

"All right, everyone! Let's kick this festival off with entry one, Johnny Alder."

Johnny smirked as he carefully made his way through the crowd. When he made it to stage, he bowed and winked to the audience, and then released Volbeat.

"Oh, Volbeat, dear! Use Tail Glow and Signal Beam, please!"

Volbeat's small tail lit up, and then flashed on and off. Then he turned around and launched an alternating-colored beam out of his tail into the air. The attack formed a blinking heart, and the audience whistled.

"A most impressive beginning! Let's see how entry two, Lydia Beech, follows that class act!"

Johnny bowed again as he left stage, and he and Lydia momentarily clasped hands as Lydia swaggered onto the stage. She kissed her Pokéball before releasing her Illumise.

"Celeste, show them your Silver Wind specialty!"

Celeste delicately raised her hands and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, and then drew up a powdery gust of wind. Stars and hearts blew through the wind, causing the audience to gasp.

"Another great appeal! Can entry three, Sasha Collins, keep up…?"

- - -

"That was Michelle Neptune with Castform, everyone! Now let's see number thirty, Adrian Edgeworth, with her Gardevoir!"

Lynnie had been paying varying amounts of attention during each appeal, but perked up when Adrian gracefully walked onto the stage. She calmly released Gardevoir, and he looked up at the crowd, equally calm.

"Thunderbolt and Psychic," Adrian barely mouthed.

Sparks formed around Gardevoir and formed into bolts of energy. Then, he began to glow, and used Psychic to form the Thunderbolt into a large star. A wowed murmur arose from the audience as the glowing purple-ish white star sparked slightly.

"Another tough act to follow! Now, here's contestant thirty-one, Shelly Andrews, with Absol!"

- - -

"Sixty-seven, Jed Stone and Golem! …Seventy-two, Skeeter Kamen with Masquerain! …Eighty, Amber Johnson and Linoone!"

"Hey, you're coming up soon, right, Kagurin?"

"Yep!"

Kagurin grinned to Lynnie as they watched more and more coordinators appealing. With each one that went, Lynnie got more confident, but also a bit more bored. If Lydia hadn't insisted on the battle the day before, she could've registered earlier and gone already…

"Now, here comes eighty-four, Kagurin Enoki, with Whiscash!"

The brunette waved to Lynnie as she jogged onto the stage. She eagerly released Turquoise, and the Water-type seemed to look excited as well.

"All right, Turquoise, let's try Water Sport and Spark!"

Turquoise slowly opened his mouth and blasted water around himself. As he splashed the water upwards, he closed his eyes, and sparks began to form around him. When the electricity shot through the water, it caused the two attacks to explode upwards and rain down in a shower of water and static.

"Absolutely amazing! Let's see what eighty-five, Jen Shadow, will do about this excellent preceding appeal…"

- - -

"We're winding to a close with only two coordinators left. Give it up for ninety-nine, Lynnie Maple!"

"Finally!"

Lynnie eagerly jogged onto the stage, Lucky following her. He'd been out of his Pokéball the whole time, and had started to get bored and impatient.

When the pair arrived on stage, Lynnie bowed dramatically low and grinned at the crowd. She then turned to Lucky and paused slightly. Shrugging, she decided to go with the usual—Rain Dance and Thunder would be less impressive after Turquoise's Water Sport and Spark, after all, and she wanted to show off.

"Charge and Spark, Lucky!"

Lucky barked and pawed the ground, and his fur started to stand on end. He then released an explosion of sparks from his mane, and the audience clapped loudly.

"Good job, Lynnie and Manectric! Now, last but most certainly not least, here's Lily Gripps with Crawdaunt!"

A short, somewhat squat girl ambled onto the stage. She carefully selected her Pokéball from her belt and released a large, red, lobster-like Pokémon. It clenched its claws as it looked up at the crowd.

"Try Bubblebeam and Icy Wind!"

Crawdaunt shot bubbles out of its claws, and an Icy Wind out of its mouth. A thin layer of ice covered each bubble, causing them to glint slightly. Polite applause rose from the stands.

"All right! That concludes today's appeals. Everyone, make sure to vote as you return to the lobby! Your votes will decide tomorrow's twenty finalists."

Lynnie breathed a sigh of relief as she ducked through the crowd to find Kagurin. The other girl was already back with Johnny and Lydia, and the trio had gathered near the door to the lobby.

"You do that combo every time," Lydia sulked.

"But it works," Lynnie sulked back.

"Now, now, I told you getting stressed isn't good for you. It causes wrinkles," Johnny said, almost in a sing-song voice.

The two girls glared at him, but followed him and Kagurin back to the lobby. After shoving through the crowd again for a few minutes, they eventually arrived in a slightly less crowded area near the counter. The last few audience members had dropped their ballots in the voting box, and the announcer and a few attendants were beginning to tally the votes.

After several more minutes of bored waiting, the last few ballots had been counted. Reaching for her microphone, the announcer clicked it on and started speaking.

"All right! We've come down to the last twenty and entered the results into the computer. The finalists' pictures will appear on the monitor above us here!"

She gestured to a monitor suspended from the ceiling above the counter. It blinked to life and static blurred the screen for a few moments. Then, pictures of the one hundred entrants began to flash rapidly across it.

Lynnie crossed her fingers, and several of the other coordinators held their breath. Some cheered when their picture stayed on the screen, and others were still looking anxious.

Soon, pictures of Johnny and Lydia froze on the screen as well, and the pair grinned at each other. Then Kagurin's picture stayed on screen, bringing the total up to fifteen. Lynnie gulped, but on the eighteenth slot, her picture appeared. Adrian's fell on slot nineteen, and slot twenty was filled with a boy she didn't recognize.

"And there you have our twenty finalists! Don't miss tomorrow for anything, folks!"

Several of the coordinators who hadn't been chosen looked disappointed for a few seconds, but then started babbling excitedly about who was most likely to keep going the next day. Lynnie, however, was still staring at the screen. She then turned around and cheered.

"Yay! I get to keep going!"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

Brendan had managed to push his way back though the crowd, and was now standing next to Lynnie. She sheepishly scratched the back of her neck.

"Of course I knew I was gonna make it! I just thought they forgot about how awesome Lucky was or something, because they took so long."

"Yeah. Right. Whatever."

As Brendan rolled his eyes, Lynnie's stomach growled. She hadn't had anything since breakfast, after all.

"Um, who's up for lunch?" she asked.

The other four flashed grins (although Lydia's was reluctant), and they headed out of the Contest Hall…


	40. Chapter Thirty Eight: Vs Huntail!

_Author's Note_: Yay, part two of the Grand Festival! Plus, there's more of Shuki and Scott, as well as some really bad jokes and outside references (most notably, Kanbei's infamous "other sock" from Advance Wars 2, and Misty's Haunter hate line).

**Chapter Thirty Eight: Vs Huntail!**

"I hope you're paying for this, Lynnie Maple."

"Huh? Huh?"

"Don't worry, dear. I'm paying."

"Phew."

"What's up with all this 'dear' talk?"

After the appeals had finished, the group of now six (Shuki had followed along as well) had stopped at a highly-rated buffet near the Contest Hall. Lynnie had, admittedly, filled her plate with spaghetti from the pasta bar instead of getting one of the restaurant's daily specials (vegetarian lasagna and barbecue subs) like the rest of the group had.

Currently, Lydia was glaring at Lynnie over her lasagna, while Johnny meticulously cut his sub into several smaller pieces. Brendan and Kagurin were simply picking up their subs and eating them, while Shuki watched out of the corner of his eye. Lynnie crossed her eyes as she twirled a large amount of spaghetti around her fork.

"That was _all by luck_ earlier, by the way," Lydia sniffed, picking up a small piece of her food with her fork.

"Your appeal or mine?" Lynnie stifled a giggle.

"Why you—!"

"If I may interrupt, both of you are right."

At the booth behind them, Scott set a plate of lasagna down on the table and slid into the chair. Lynnie groaned and resisted the urge to bang her head on the table (she didn't want spaghetti sauce in her hair, after all).

"Hey, why are you here? And what do you mean, Lydia's right too?"

"Well, to answer your first question, I'm eating, obviously," Scott replied easily. "And as for your second… Her appeal really should have used an extra move. While Silver Wind was certainly crowd-pleasing enough, a Flatter or Attract would have complimented it well. For yours, Lynnie, it was quite impressive but could have been a bit more creative."

"Hey, that's my trademark," Lynnie sulked.

"More like the only thing you can do."

"I'll show you tomorrow!"

"Lynnie," Kagurin whispered. "She's just trying to bug you."

"Whatever," Lynnie mumbled, playing around with her spaghetti.

"Anyway, congratulations on making it to the next round. I'm looking forward to tomorrow," Scott continued.

"You better be!" Lynnie grinned, waving her fork around. "I'll do even better tomorrow!"

"…Watch your fork," Shuki suddenly interjected, leaning slightly to avoid a meatball.

Brendan, meanwhile, leaned over and quite adeptly caught the projectile in his mouth. "Thanks."

The rest of the group, including Scott, burst into laughter as Brendan swallowed the spaghetti topping, and even Shuki forced a smile. Lynnie, however, sulked in silence as she finished her food…

- - -

"You're not staying at the Pokémon Center, are you, Shuki?"

After finishing lunch, the group had left the restaurant rather lethargically (even Scott had left before them) and had started walking back to the hotel. Shuki sighed and put his hands in his pockets as his sister turned to him.

"I did last night. So?"

"So, we're staying at the hotel," Kagurin shrugged.

"You can't just invite him like that. He has to pay," Lydia cut in imperiously.

"Yes she can, she just did," Shuki snorted.

"Hey, I like this kid. Brendan, darling, do you think we could fit him in your backpack?"

"…I'm not that short!"

"Why did you just call me _darling_?"

A pair of near-identical slap marks appeared on Johnny's face, and the older coordinator winced as he rubbed his cheeks. Brendan and Shuki both still had their fists raised, glaring.

"Just… crossed… the cute line," he grumbled.

"Well, he's staying in your room, and you're paying… right?" Kagurin winked.

"I suppose, Kagurin, dear."

The rest of the group, excluding Lydia, started giggling as they continued walking down the neatly-trimmed sidewalk.

- - -

"Group discount still counted, that's 100 Poké."

Johnny dug around in his pockets again and handed the clerk a few coins. The man smiled as he put the money in a lock box.

"All right, same rooms, I presume? Good evening!"

The group nodded as they headed back down the hallway to their rooms. Shuki folded his hands behind his head as they walked, sighing.

"Why can't I have my own room?"

"Because you'd lose the key," Kagurin shrugged. "You sure are smart, Shuki, but you're very forgetful."

"Whatever."

By that time, they'd arrived at the rooms. Johnny and Lydia pulled out the card keys and quickly inserted them into the key slots to unlock the door. Looking over his shoulder, Johnny grinned before going in.

"Keep track of Lynnie and Kagurin, will you, Lydia dear?"

"I don't need Lydia to look after me!" Lynnie cried, waving her arms.

"Like I want to. I just am because Johnny said so."

"See?"

"I think you're in perfect hands," Johnny winked.

"…You're being sarcastic, right?" Shuki groaned.

"Don't worry. That's nothing compared to how he was last night," Brendan whispered.

Johnny cleared his throat. "Well, then, good night, dears! Get plenty of sleep."

With that, they turned into their rooms. Lynnie grumbled under her breath as she flopped onto the bed she'd used the night before. It was barely past five, and Johnny wanted her to go to sleep already?

Kagurin, meanwhile, slid on her bed on her stomach. Lydia then sighed and dramatically sank onto the couch.

"You really are lucky that you went on, Lynnie Maple. I can't believe I still have to compete with you tomorrow."

"How come you're not complaining about anyone else going on to the next round?" Lynnie complained.

"Because everyone else is weird?" Kagurin suggested.

"Just the opposite. Lynnie's the only weird one," Lydia replied.

"Well, that's great."

Lynnie sulked as she kicked off her shoes and threw her bag on the floor. Then she crawled under her covers and pulled them up over her head, turning to face the wall close to her instead of Lydia.

She heard resigned sighs from Lydia and Kagurin, and Kagurin apparently crawled under her covers too. Then the lights clicked off and Lydia sank back onto the couch.

Maybe going to bed this early wasn't a bad idea after all, Lynnie realized, starting to nod off unconsciously…

- - -

"Ugh."

The next morning, Lynnie woke up far too early. As she rolled over and looked at the bedside table, the digital clock read 6:00. Lynnie groaned and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't get herself tired again.

Grumbling, Lynnie crawled out of bed, trying not to trip over her covers. She blinked when she saw Kagurin sitting next to her own bed, barefoot and digging through her bag.

"Good morning, Lynnie!" the brunette greeted cheerfully. "But… I can't seem to find my other sock…"

"There's no time for socks!" Lynnie frowned, glancing around and realizing Lydia was already gone. "Hey, wait, is this it?"

She picked up a black sock near the bedside table and tossed it to Kagurin. The older girl grinned as she pulled it on.

"Yeah. Thanks. Hey, wanna go see if breakfast is being served already?"

"Okay!"

The two girls slipped out the door and headed down the hall to the cafeteria. Fortunately, the line was short, and Shuki and Brendan were already sitting at a table near the front of the room.

"Yo," Brendan mumbled around a mouthful of toast. "Are you locked out too or something?"

"Gross." Lynnie crossed her eyes. "Anyway, I dunno. We haven't seen Lydia yet. Why?"

"We knocked on your door earlier to see if you were up yet. Johnny left with the key after that," Shuki shrugged, cutting his toast into small pieces with his butter knife.

"You don't have to do that, you know," Brendan frowned. He then turned to Kagurin. "Does he always do that? I mean, last night he used about half of those little cups in the bathroom to separate his coke…"

"Yeah, that's normal."

"So here you are. We've been ready for a while."

Lydia put a hand on her hip as she and Johnny approached the table. Johnny simply looked sheepishly at the four others as Lydia smirked.

"So, how early did you get up? Four?" Lynnie rolled her eyes.

"Just about," Lydia replied easily. "Anyway, Johnny and I have some more practicing to do for appeals later. I recommend that you two practice, too."

Johnny blinked sleepily and grinned over his shoulder and he and Lydia left again. Brendan shook his head at their retreating backs.

"Geez. You'd think she runs his life or something."

"Yeah. _Girls_."

Lynnie and Kagurin simply looked at each other and sighed as Brendan and Shuki continued their conversation.

- - -

"Hey, Mom!"

Lynnie grinned as her mom's face appeared on the PokéNav's screen. Mrs. Maple grinned widely as she answered.

"Lynnie, dear! It's great to hear from you! How've you been?"

"Pretty good. I'm in Lilycove City now!"

"Really?" Mrs. Maple winked. "Be sure to go shopping and pick me up a doll or two!"

Lynnie giggled. "Okay! But not right now. I have to get down to the Contest Hall soon."

"Oh, that's right! You should have called me sooner," Mrs. Maple huffed suddenly. "I was flipping through channels after lunch yesterday and saw a few minutes of the first round. I missed most of it, but I did see your appeal!"

"Sorry, Mom," Lynnie said sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck. "I forgot."

Mrs. Maple sighed. "Oh well. At least I know it's being broadcast now, so I can watch the whole thing later. And a Manectric… That's pretty cool, dear!"

"Yep! Lucky's great! Wait, is Dad watching it too?"

"Well, um…" Mrs. Maple suddenly smiled oddly. "You'll just have to… see about that, dear."

"Oh… That means no…"

"Not necess…"

"Hey, Lynnie! We've gotta go if we wanna get there on time!"

Kagurin's voice floated into the hotel bedroom. Lydia had eventually come back and unlocked the door, and Lynnie was sitting on her bed as she talked to her mother. She'd left the door slightly cracked on accident, so Kagurin was now poking her head in the room.

"Okay. Well, I've gotta go. Be sure to watch, Mom!"

"All right, dear! Good luck."

Lynnie clicked off her PokéNav and clipped it back onto her bag. She grinned as she followed Kagurin to the hotel lobby.

"Lydia and Johnny took Brendan and Shuki down there already," Kagurin explained. "Let's go!"

"All right!"

Lynnie and Kagurin grinned as they darted out the front doors…

- - -

"All right, folks! We're back with the second day of the Grand Festival, and we're down to twenty coordinators."

The announcer tossed her hair over her shoulder as she waved to the audience. Cheering, the audience looked expectantly at the stage.

"And here they come! Number one is Johnny Alder, from right here in Lilycove!"

Johnny jogged confidently onto the stage from the backstage area and grinned. He released Volbeat again, and the Bug-Type hovered around him.

"Thunder Punch and Ice Punch, dear!"

Volbeat raised one of his stubby arms, and a ball of ice formed around his fist. Then, his other fist began to spark, and as he rammed his fists together, a shower of ice and electricity showered around him.

"An impressive start, once again," the announcer commented as the audience roared. "Now, it's number two, Lydia Beech, also from here!"

Lydia swaggered on stage as Johnny left, and they winked to each other. She released Celeste again, and the Illumise looked just as confident as her trainer.

"Okay, Celeste! Flatter and Attract!"

Celeste leaned forward slightly and winked, blowing a kiss to the crowd. As they gasped, Celeste then clapped her short arms together and raised them up again. Hearts cascaded around her, and the crowd sighed in approval.

"Very _attractive_, Miss Beech! Let's go on with number three, Amanda Murphy from Rustboro, with Azumarril…"

- - -

"Here's number fifteen, Kagurin Enoki from Mauville City!"

Kagurin grinned as she entered the stage area. She released Turquoise, and the Whiscash looked around calmly.

"Water Gun and Ice Beam, Turquoise!"

"Cash!"

Turquoise blasted a small amount of water out of his mouth. As it shot away, Turquoise launched an Ice Beam. The ice attack hit the still flying Water Gun, freezing it into a small ball of ice.

"Water Gun again!"

Turquoise shot out another Water Gun, hitting the first frozen one before it hit the ground. The first attack dissolved easily, and the audience whistled.

"Look at that control with moving targets! Kagurin's sure on top of things. Next is Laurie Austin from Fallarbor, with Wigglytuff…"

- - -

"We're almost finished with appeals! Number eighteen is Lynnie Maple, all the way from Littleroot Town!"

Lynnie bowed as she walked on stage, crowd whistling. She quickly grabbed Lucky's Pokéball, eagerly releasing the Electric-Type.

"Okay, Lucky! Let's change things up a bit. Ready for a Rain Dance and Thunder combo this time?"

Lucky growled a bit, but nodded. He howled, and rain started to descend lightly over the open-roofed arena. Then, a huge blast of electricity discharged from his mane, the sparks dancing in the rain over him.

The crowd applauded, and Lynnie bowed again. She jogged off stage as the announcer called number nineteen, Adrian. However, Lynnie stopped short just before heading backstage.

"Lynnie? What is it?"

The older blonde girl blinked, hand on her Gardevoir's Pokéball. Lynnie shook her head in response, crossing her eyes.

"Nothing. I just thought I saw something. Good luck."

"Thanks!"

Adrian carefully walked the rest of the way to the stage and released Gardevoir. Lynnie continued walking as well, shaking her head.

She could have sworn she'd just seen someone who looked a lot like her father.

- - -

"Let's hear it one more time for our great coordinators!"

More cheering erupted from the audience, and the nervous coordinators were grouped together back stage, mostly in groups of two or three. The announcer waved her hands for silence, and then spoke into her microphone again.

"Okay. It's time for a break, so get a ballot and cast your vote! You'll be picking the final four!"

"Only four?"

"Shouldn't it be eight? This _is _the Grand Festival..."

"That's not fair!"

Angry whispers arose from the coordinators as they filed through the hallway to the lobby. Lynnie, however, grinned over her shoulder to Kagurin.

"Well, _we're_ going to make it."

Kagurin grinned back. "Yeah, and…"

"And you're getting your hopes up."

Lynnie and Kagurin had just stepped into the lobby when Lydia appeared near them, her arms folded across her chest. Johnny was mysteriously absent, and Lydia seemed even edgier than usual.

"What, did you sneak a look at the ballots? Where's Johnny?" Lynnie mimicked Lydia's usual smirk.

"No, I'm not that low," Lydia retorted. "And he's getting me a drink."

"_That_ low? Meaning, you do low stuff _sometimes_?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"I don't think that's what she meant…" Kagurin whispered.

"How can you t—"

"You're… you're just not worth the time," Lydia interrupted. "_I'm_ going to the _vending machines_."

With that, Lydia tossed a loose piece of her hair behind her ear and strolled away. Lynnie and Kagurin merely rolled their eyes at each other, and started wandering around the lobby…

- - -

"All right, everyone! We've totaled all the votes and have the four finalists now!"

The PA system screeched, and the coordinators quickly gathered around the front desk. The announcer and a few attendants were sitting with a scattered bunch of ballots, and the announcer was smiling.

"Our four finalists will be displayed on the screen here."

She gestured to the suspended monitor above the counter. Similar to the previous day, the coordinator's pictures flashed across the four available boxes. Johnny and Lydia easily took the first two slots again, and Kagurin's picture settled in slot three. Lynnie gulped as the pictures in the fourth slot began to slow down, but then her picture stopped there.

"All right, there are our finalists! Johnny Alder, Lydia Beech, Kagurin Enoki, and Lynnie Maple! Please wait while the order is randomized for the battle round."

Kagurin and Lynnie grinned to each other while the other coordinators started muttering excitedly. Eventually, the order settled with Johnny, Lynnie, Kagurin, and Lydia.

"Looks like our battles will be between Lynnie and Johnny, and Lydia and Kagurin! The winners will go on to battle each other to decide the champion of this year's Grand Festival! Everyone, please return to the stands while our finalists prepare in the backstage area."

Pushing through the crowd, Kagurin and Lynnie managed to catch up with Johnny and Lydia near the backstage hallway. Johnny smiled but Lydia sulked as they approached.

"Good job, dears," Johnny winked. "Well, Lynnie, you and I are up first! Let's_ dazzle_ them."

"You bet!" Lynnie grinned back.

Lydia snorted, however. "_Please_. You know the final round will be between me and Johnny. One of us will be the winner, and the other will be the semi-finalist. While you? You will only be a third-rate loser."

"Kagurin! Beat her! Now!"

"…Lynnie, the battle hasn't even started yet."

"Oh. Right."

Lynnie crossed her eyes and quickly darted away under the curtain and through the hallway. She really didn't want to listen to Lydia anymore, and besides, she was just sore that Lynnie had made it anyway. Kagurin quickly ducked after Lynnie, barely having to jog to keep up.

"So… You're probably using Skipper in the battle, right?"

"Yep! And Oakley. You're using Silver and Diamond, aren't you?"

Kagurin scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah. I was going to use Silver and Turquoise for the battle, but… I've been practicing appeals so much with Turquoise, that that's all he likes now."

"Oh… That's like Lucky!"

The two girls the arrived in the backstage area and slid into the plastic chairs surrounding the table. Now, they only had to wait for the battles to start…

- - -

"Now that we're all back, it's time to start the battles! Let's welcome Johnny and Lynnie."

Lynnie and Johnny strode onto stage, and Lynnie bowed as Johnny winked. The crowd cheered, and the announcer paused before going on.

"All right! It'll be Johnny's Huntail and Volbeat against Lynnie's Swampert and Nuzleaf."

"Come on, Skipper and Oakley!" Lynnie cried.

"Volbeat, Huntail, let's amaze them!"

Skipper and Oakley materialized next to Lynnie as Johnny released Volbeat and Huntail. Smiling curiously as usual, Skipper crouched in her normal position as Oakley mildly looked over at Johnny's Pokémon.

"Oh, Volbeat! Use Silver Wind while Huntail goes with Water Pulse, please."

Volbeat closed his eyes and raised his short arms, drawing up a powdery wind. Huntail then blasted the Water Pulse out of his mouth, drawing in the Silver Wind and sending both attacks towards Skipper and Oakley.

"Hurry, Oakley, use Razor Wind!"

Oakley quickly raised her arms and twirled around, forming three small whirlwinds. She then directed the attack at Johnny's combo, and the three tornados managed to disperse the water. Lynnie smirked and nodded to Skipper.

"Whirlpool and Mud Shot!"

Skipper obediently formed the Whirlpool, and as it twirled towards Huntail and Volbeat, she fueled it with a Mud Shot. Soon, the two Pokémon were caught up in the combo. As Skipper launched another Mud Shot into the Whirlpool to speed it up, Volbeat sailed out of the top, followed by Huntail. The two crashed to the stage floor, and the Whirlpool followed, washing over them.

_I like easy, but that was too easy_, Lynnie frowned. _They're not really fainted, are they…?_

Surely enough, Volbeat slowly got to his feet, and Huntail weakly got up as well. They were still ready to fight, but obviously a bit tired.

"Amaze them with an Ice Beam and Signal Beam, dears!"

Volbeat flipped around and managed to launch the Signal Beam out of his tail. Then Huntail shot the Ice Beam into Volbeat's attack, creating a glowing ray of fast ice.

"Break it with Take Down, Skipper!"

Pausing, Skipper waited until the attack came closer, and then rammed her shoulder into it. The ice shattered and fell to the ground, all the pieces falling in a heap.

"Okay, Oakley, finish with Bullet Seed!"

Oakley nodded and blasted the seeds out of her mouth. They struck Volbeat, knocking him into Huntail. The two Pokémon fell to the stage floor in a somewhat tangled pile and didn't get up.

"Look at that! Both Lynnie and Johnny used some spectacular combos, and Lynnie came out ahead!"

The audience cheered again, and Lynnie bowed as usual. Johnny gave an acceptant smile as he withdrew Huntail and Volbeat, returning to the backstage area…


	41. Chapter Thirty Nine: Vs Mawile!

_Author's Note_: Here's the Grand Festival's part three… of three. Betcha weren't expecting _this_ outcome, were ya?

**Chapter Thirty Nine: Vs Mawile!**

Lynnie sighed as she put a few coins into the vending machine in the Contest Hall's lobby. Johnny had already gone to the stands, presumably to get a decent seat so he could cheer for Lydia later. While she probably should have still been in the backstage area, the announcer had called a five-minute break after her battle with Johnny, and she wanted a soda.

When the bottle dropped down, she grinned and unscrewed the cap. Taking a drink, she walked back towards the backstage hall. However, she sputtered as the monitor over the reception counter blinked on.

The few trainers who hadn't gotten to get a seat in the stands scurried over, and a display of the stage came on. There was a close up of the announcer, who winked and threw her hair over her shoulder as usual.

"The battle's off to a great start! Kagurin's Mawile has scored a hit on Lydia's Illumise, and her Sableye is stalling Gorebyss!"

The screen panned over to Lydia and Kagurin. Lydia was clenching her teeth as Celeste landed near her feet, and Diamond was trying to block Angelica's Water Pulse with a Psychic.

"Oh, snap," Lynnie muttered.

Hurriedly, she dashed down the hallway, until her soda almost spilled on her. Grumbling, she remembered she hadn't put the lid back on, and paused to do so. Then, Lynnie darted back to the backstage area to get a better look at the battle…

- - -

"And there's the end! With an impressive show of combos from both sides, Kagurin pulled ahead in the nick of time!"

Lynnie grinned, finishing off her drink as the crowd cheered. She'd fortunately arrived just in time to see the end of the battle. Diamond and Silver had combined a Psychic and Solarbeam to knock out Angelica and promptly send her crashing into Celeste.

"All right, let's give Kagurin a well-deserved ten minute break! Then, she and Lynnie will face off for the finals!"

The audience chattered excitedly as they filed into the lobby. Lydia sulkily followed after them, and Kagurin jogged into the backstage area, grinning.

"Hey, Lynnie! Looks like we'll get to battle again soon."

"Yep!" Lynnie grinned back. "Well, I've gotten even _better_ since then."

"Me too… Hey, wanna go get a drink or something?"

"I just finished a coke," Lynnie groaned. "But, I guess I can get chocolate!"

The two girls laughed as they headed into the lobby as well. Weaving through the large group of people, it took a few minutes to get over to the vending machines. Kagurin and Lynnie sighed as they waited for their snacks to vend.

"So," Kagurin started, kneeling down to get her drink. "Lydia seemed pretty mad."

"Yeah, she probably wanted to beat me in the finals or something like that," Lynnie shrugged, unwrapping her chocolate bar. "But I've already beaten her in a contest before. Hey, have you seen Bren—"

"Hey, guys!"

As if on cue, Brendan pushed through a few trainers, closely followed by Shuki, and jogged over to Lynnie and Kagurin. He grinned and scratched the back of his neck as Shuki sighed.

"This'll be a pretty good final round, won't it?"

"…What are you elbowing me for?" Shuki grumbled.

"Shuki, were you complaining about Psychic and Solarbeam again?" Kagurin groaned.

"Hey, you're the one who always said impressions were important. I just don't think that was very impressionable."

"Wow, I think he used more big words just now than I used all week," Lynnie grumbled.

As she swallowed another bite of her chocolate, the PA screeched on again. The announcer's voice floated into the lobby, and the large group of coordinators in the room instantly silenced.

"All right, our break is over! Everyone, please return to the stands while Kagurin and Lynnie start their battle."

Kagurin and Lynnie grinned broadly as they waved to Shuki and Brendan. The two girls then jogged back through the backstage hallway, and paused to catch their breath before going on stage.

"Hey… So, whoever wins, we're still friends, right?" Kagurin panted slightly.

Lynnie took a deep breath as well. "Um, duh. Why wouldn't we be?"

"I dunno… I just… Never mind, okay? Let's go."

Blinking in confusion, Lynnie watched the taller girl head to the stage. Kagurin paused and looked over her shoulder, and Lynnie shook her head, hurrying after her. When they arrived on stage, the last few members of the audience were filing into the stands, and the announcer gave her usual smile.

"Welcome back, folks, to our exciting final round! It'll be Lynnie's Swampert and Nuzleaf versus Kagurin's Sableye and Mawile."

The audience cheered, and Lynnie instantly grabbed Skipper and Oakley's Pokéballs, shaking off her confused feeling. Kagurin released Diamond and Silver, and the pair assumed fighting poses. As Skipper and Oakley materialized next to Lynnie, Oakley stretched and Skipper crouched slightly, grinning.

"Let's get started, everyone! Keep your eyes peeled for the excellent combos they're sure to use."

"Okay, guys, use Blizzard and Bullet Seed," Lynnie called.

Oakley spread her arms behind her as she leaned forward, shooting the seeds towards Diamond and Silver. Then, Skipper closed her eyes and blew out a Blizzard. As the attacks combined, the ice coated the seeds and the wind from Blizzard blew them forward quicker.

"Diamond, use Psychic!"

The Sableye countered immediately, purple energy glowing around her. She then blasted the attack towards Lynnie's combo, causing the seeds to crash to the ground.

"Now, Silver, use Flamethrower!"

"Counter with Water Gun!"

Silver flipped around, opening his jaws and loosing the Flamethrower towards Lynnie's Pokémon. However, Oakley launched the Water Gun just in time. As the two attacks collided, they vaporized, and Skipper and Silver panted slightly.

"Wow! Both sides are off to a showy start, but they're both having trouble inflicting damage!" the announcer gasped.

_We'll just have to fix that, then,_ Lynnie thought smugly.

"You know what to do, guys. Whirlpool, Mud Shot, and Razor Wind!"

Skipper quickly formed the Whirlpool, fueling it with Mud Shot. As the attack caught Silver and Diamond, Oakley closed her eyes and spun around, creating the Razor Wind. The small whirlwinds collided with Skipper's vortex, causing it to spin faster. When Silver and Diamond flew out of the top and crashed to the ground, Lynnie smirked.

"Ah! Diamond, use Recover!"

Weakly, Diamond stood up and glowed faintly. Her bruises slowly disappeared, and then she turned to Silver, still glowing. A bit of her energy seemed to transfer to the Steel-Type, and after a few moments, Silver got up as well.

"Aw, no!" Lynnie grumbled. "Skipper and Oakley are already tired from that combo just now…"

Oakley and Skipper hadn't taken any damage, but still looked a bit worn out. However, Silver and Diamond looked totally fine.

"Diamond, use Shock Wave while Silver uses Flamethrower again."

Once again, Silver flipped around and released a Flamethrower. Electricity crackled around Diamond, and she launched the Shock Wave into Silver's attack. The crackling flame hit Oakley, sending her crashing into Skipper. Slightly singed, the pair landed in a heap. Lynnie blinked numbly, but sighed in relief when they struggled back up.

"Too close. Try Blizzard and Bullet Seed again!"

Oakley managed to shoot a few seeds towards the two opposing Pokémon. Skipper, however, tried to launch the Blizzard, but only managed a few small ice shards. Silver easily knocked the attacks away with his large jaw and seemed to be smirking.

"Finish with Shadow Ball and Solar Beam!"

Diamond raised her claws in front of her face and slowly formed a large shadow between them. She then tossed the Shadow Ball forward, and Silver opened his jaws to create the Solar Beam. His attack shot into the Shadow Ball, causing it to speed forward into Skipper and Oakley.

The attack struck Skipper first, and the larger Pokémon tumbled into Oakley. They rolled to the side, landing in a crumpled heap. Lynnie crossed her fingers and waited for several seconds, holding her breath, until…

"…What an exciting match! Our Grand Festival Winner is Kagurin Enoki from Mauville City!"

When Lynnie opened her eyes, the announcer was presenting a standard ribbon and a large, bronze cup to Kagurin. The brunette grinned broadly and waved to the roaring crowd, and Diamond and Silver bowed next to her. Lynnie blinked, quickly recalling Skipper and Oakley, and ducked into the backstage area unnoticed.

- - -

"Not upset. Not upset. Not… Oh, whatever, I'm upset!"

Lynnie put her face in her hands as she stumbled down the hallway. Of course she'd known one of them had to lose, and of course she'd known Kagurin's combos had improved a lot. And Lynnie had still come in second place, after all… This had to mean something in such an important festival.

But she was still disappointed.

When she trudged into the lobby, she was glad the audience was all still in the stands. They were probably having some kind of brief, post-Contest show, Lynnie thought. It wouldn't be surprising if Kagurin was demonstrating a few of her other combos.

That in itself was actually fortunate, even if Lynnie wanted to be the one showing off. At least she didn't have to worry about Brendan, Shuki, Johnny, or especially Lydia seeing her angry.

"Lynnie."

So much for that idea. Lynnie jumped as she started to turn around, eyes still closed. Who would bother following her out, anyway?

"What?"

"Look at me."

Lynnie slowly opened her eyes again, and blinked in bewilderment. "Dad…? W-Why aren't you at the gym?"

Norman shook his head, his arms folded across his chest. "Honestly, Lynnie. Your mother told me you were here. Do you really think I believe that my work is more important than my daughter?"

"Um… Well… Yes," Lynnie grumbled. "I mean, come on, Dad! For one thing, I didn't even know you were trying out for the whole Gym Leader thing until after you left. And then, when I won, you got all mad, like I wasn't supposed to."

"Lynnie…"

"Whatever, Dad!" Lynnie protested, throwing her arms in the air. "I don't care anymore. You came all the way out here just to watch me lose, anyway! Didn't you always say second place was for losers?"

"Lynnie," Norman repeated, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Listen. You're right. Until I lost to you, I _did_ think winning was all that mattered. That loss made me realize there are things more important than that. You're getting a chance to learn that well before I did. You performed excellently. I didn't come here to watch you win or lose. I came to watch you _compete_."

"D-dad…" Lynnie's voice gave a rare wobble, and she gulped. Suddenly, she burst, "Y-yeah! You won't be disappointed in me. I'm going to do even better. Let me guess, I'm supposed to learn from this, right?"

"…Yes. You've come a long way, Lynnie. Don't forget that."

"Okay!" Lynnie was back to her trademark grin. "I'm outta here, Dad. Tell Mom I said hi, all right? And make sure you don't stay at the gym all night!"

Norman gave a half-smile. "All right, Lynnie."

"Bye, Dad!"

Waving, Lynnie jogged out of the Contest Hall, grin spreading. She turned, prepared to go back to the hotel to get something to eat before she left. However, before she did, Lynnie crossed her eyes. A shadow lurked around the edge of a nearby apartment complex and darted towards the west exit of Lilycove.

"Huh?" Lynnie blinked. "Where…"

She took a few steps forward, peering around the building and whipping out her PokéNav. Lynnie frowned as she looked at the map function. Taking the west exit only led back to Route 122 and the Safari Zone…

"Wait, what's this?"

As Lynnie looked more closely at the map, she noticed a small mountain icon below the Safari Zone's indicator. She selected the mountain icon, and a caption popped up below it, reading "Mt. Pyre."

"Why didn't I notice that before?" Lynnie cried, smacking her palm to her forehead. "Let's go check that out…"

"Lynnie!"

Blinking again, Lynnie turned back around. Kagurin skidded slightly as she stopped a few feet away, scratching the back of her neck.

"Here you are! I was wondering where you went. Brendan and Shuki both said they couldn't find you…"

Lynnie stared blankly for a moment before realizing Kagurin was expecting an answer. "Well, um… I'm just stretching. And stuff. Wasn't there some kind of celebration or something?"

"Yeah, well…" Kagurin grinned sheepishly. "I kinda… walked out when nobody was looking. Shuki said he'd make something up for me if I didn't come back. Anyway, wanna come too?"

"Actually, y'see, I saw something a minute ago! Like a guy heading out towards Route 122," Lynnie announced.

"Huh. The only things out there are the Safari Zone and Mt. Pyre… Wanna go sneak after him anyway? We might find out something interesting."

"Duh! Of course!"

The two girls shared an eager look, and then quickly headed back towards the west exit of town…


	42. Chapter Forty: Vs Chimecho!

_Author's Notes_: For the record, Chimecho sucks and I like Maxie better than Archie. Anyway, here's Mt. Pyre and stuff.

**Chapter Forty: Vs Chimecho!**

"So… You saw the guy go this way, right?"

"Yep! I'm sure he did!"

Lynnie and Kagurin carefully parted the tall grass on Route 122. So far, they hadn't managed to catch up to the shadow Lynnie had seen, but Lynnie knew she had to be going in the right direction. The path hadn't taken any turns yet, after all.

However, the two girls stopped abruptly when they heard voices up ahead. Ducking behind a nearby tree, they quickly peered out from behind the trunk.

A small group of similarly-dressed people was standing a few feet away, just around a bend to the left and barely visible behind a few trees. They were all wearing striped black-and-white shirts and blue bandannas, and they seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Hey, they look kinda familiar, don't they?" Kagurin whispered. "Like, didn't we see them in Slateport that one time?"

"Yeah," Lynnie whispered back. "It's Team Aqua, I think! Brendan and I saw them again at that weather place on Route 119."

Then, suddenly, a final man approached the group, looking like he'd come from the direction of Fortree. Panting, he bent forward slightly, resting his hands on his knees as he looked up at the rest of his teammates.

"S-sorry," he stammered. "Got… sidetracked."

The tall, lanky man who looked to be in charge glared at him. "This happens every time! You should have just left five minutes earlier. We're supposed to be at Mt. Pyre already."

"Oof…" The shorter man winced. "Y-yes, sir."

"Whatever. Let's just move out finally, men!"

The group slowly followed him around another turn. Lynnie and Kagurin grinned and nodded, and after waiting a moment, they quickly tiptoed after the Team Aqua grunts…

- - -

"Stop grumbling, grunts!"

The Team Aqua grunts groaned as their leader shouted at them. Admittedly, Lynnie was starting to mumble under her breath as well. She and Kagurin had been following them for at least twenty minutes, and they'd had to take several turns and dodge various trees along the way.

Fortunately, however, soon a large mountain began to rise on the horizon. Lynnie sighed in relief as the group picked up their pace, and soon, they arrived at a narrow entrance to the cave.

"Okay, the boss man is waiting for us near the top of the mountain," the sub-commander announced. "After a few floors inside, there's supposed to be a path that leads outside. We'll wind around there and catch up to Boss. Now, he thinks Team Magma might've found out about the… treasures, as well. So hustle!"

"I can't believe they haven't noticed us yet," Lynnie whispered, giggling as she and Kagurin paused.

"Well, we _are_ a few feet behind them," Kagurin grinned.

The team filed into the cave entrance, and a few seconds later, Lynnie and Kagurin snuck after them. Kagurin went first, having to duck quite a bit to enter, but Lynnie barely had to at all. However, she blinked as she followed the taller girl inside.

"This doesn't look like a cave at all!"

Grass was sprouting on the apparently dirt floor, and tiling had been set in the walls and ceiling. A few tombstones were set around the chamber, and a few trainers were kneeling in front of some of the graves. Kagurin shrugged to Lynnie as she looked around.

"They probably tried to make it less depressing or something. Anyway, let's hurry upstairs!"

"Right!"

A small staircase in the back wall led to the second floor. It looked almost identical to the first floor, including a grassy floor, but it had a few more tombstones. As the two girls arrived on the landing, they caught a glimpse of one of the grunts bringing up the rear of the group as they headed up the stairs to the third floor.

Jogging, Lynnie and Kagurin quickly arrived on the third floor. When they reached the top of the stairs, they once again caught a glimpse of the last of the group, taking a turn down a narrow-looking hallway at the left side of the chamber. Lynnie giggled again as she looked at Kagurin.

"For people coming to steal something, they sure are careless!"

"We didn't see a whole lot of other people on they way up, though, remember?"

"Oh… right," Lynnie mumbled. "I guess not too many people come at this time of the day."

Scurrying after the Team Aqua group, Lynnie and Kagurin had to go single-file down the hallway. Soon, it led to a small, low exit. Lynnie ducked through the exit, blinking as Kagurin ducked after her. They'd arrived on a plateau that seemed to wind around the outside of Mt. Pyre. As Lynnie looked down, she could see the ground of Route 122.

"Hey, how long do you think it would take me to hit the ground if I jumped from here?" she asked curiously.

"I dunno… But jumping from three stories doesn't seem like something I'd want to do for some reason…" Kagurin replied thoughtfully. "Anyway… We should probably hurry."

"Oh, yeah."

Fortunately, the plateau was just wide enough that they had room to walk side by side. Weedy grass grew in spurts along the ground, in contrast to the nicer grass inside. Every so often, shadows would seem to dart through the grass, some almost looking puppet-shaped while others resembled skulls.

"I wonder how much farther we need to go…" Lynnie grumbled after a while of walking.

"Hey, look—"

The ground started to even off, and Kagurin pointed towards a small alcove surrounded by high stone walls that formed the peak of the mountain. However, it still was a bit away, and they couldn't tell what was going on, although there were a few shadows.

Before Kagurin could finish her sentence, however, a ringing noise sounded nearby, and the two girls winced. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie looked up to see a long, pink-and-white Pokémon with a round head floating in the air near them. A small bell on the top of its head seemed to be the source of the noise.

"Chime…" it murmured, ringing its bell again.

"Do you think it noticed us?" Lynnie whispered.

"Echo…"

The Chimecho rang again, floating over the two girls' heads. Sighing in relief, they tiptoed forward again up the long, but at least flat, path towards the alcove. As they got closer, they could clearly hear voices, and from the looks of things, two people, each surrounded by a small group, were having a battle.

"Fool! Distract him with a Water Pulse!"

"No! Use Flamethrower, Camerupt!"

The two attacks collided in midair, vaporizing. The two men shouted in frustration, and Lynnie and Kagurin shared a confused look. Taking a few more steps forward, Lynnie and Kagurin blinked in surprise.

Team Aqua had apparently just reached the top of the mountain, and the grunts looked just as surprised as Lynnie and Kagurin did. Apparently, a few Team Magma grunts had arrived just before them. The two teams' leaders, Archie and Maxie, had obviously gotten into some kind of dispute upon realizing what the other was up to.

"Flamethrower!" Maxie shouted again.

"Sharpedo, you idiot! Attack!"

The Fire-Type launched another Flamethrower. Sharpedo, however, easily dove out of the way, darting towards Camerupt with wide jaws. Camerupt's Flamethrower scorched the ground nearby, narrowly missing Archie. Biting down with a Crunch on Camerupt's side, Sharpedo seemed to be smirking as the Fire-Type grunted in pain.

"Hey, you! Grab the Red Orb already!" Maxie howled. "What do you think I brought you for?"

"No! Take both the Red and Blue Orbs! Don't let him get either one! I don't care who, one of you fools—do it now!"

"Y-yes sir!"

"Yeah, Boss…!"

Obediently, the two groups of grunts began squabbling over the two aforementioned orbs, which were resting in a protective glass box in the middle of the alcove. As they argued, one of the Team Magma grunts rammed into the case, shattering it and causing the orbs to tumble onto the ground. Then, there was a mad dash for the orbs, and the grunts scrambled over each other.

"Use a combined Water Gun!"

During the squabble, Lynnie and Kagurin had managed to grab Skipper and Turquoise's Pokéballs. The two Water-Types each shot a Water Gun towards the group of grunts. Looking up, surprised, the grunts barely had time to react as the combined attack washed over them, knocking the majority of them to the other side of the alcove, unconscious. The Orbs, however, were apparently just close enough to Skipper and Turquoise that the attack hadn't hit them, and they lay intact in the place they'd been dropped.

"Wh-what?" Maxie snarled, looking up and seeing the two girls. "How did you get here?"

"We followed his grunts," Lynnie grinned, pointing towards Archie.

"Those… fools!" Archie hissed, apparently too frustrated to think of a better word. "Have I seen you children before?"

"Come to think of it… You. The scrawny one. I know you…" Maxie growled.

"I'm not scrawny!" Lynnie protested.

"Lynnie, what do you mean, he knows you?" Kagurin cried. "But wait a minute, we saw the Team Aqua guy in Slateport, right?"

"Oh." Archie's sneer widened. "You are the foolish little girls who let me get that submarine part, aren't you? And now you will let me get those Orbs while Sharpedo keeps you company."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Maxie howled. "She ruined my plans on Mt. Chimney and it won't happen again! Camerupt, Take Down!"

The two Pokémon dove forward as Maxie and Archie dove for the Orbs. Gulping, Lynnie and Kagurin looked towards Skipper and Turquoise, and the Water-Types grinned knowingly as they launched another combined Water Gun at Sharpedo and Camerupt. They tumbled backwards, crashing into a part of the stone wall, and landed in a heap as Lynnie and Kagurin darted forward toward the Orbs as well.

"Hey, jerk! Let it go!"

Lynnie skidded to a halt near the Red Orb as Maxie gripped onto it. The toe of her sneaker struck Maxie's hand, and the red-haired man growled, quickly retracting his hand as he stood up. Jumping forward, Lynnie tried to grab it, but Maxie held it above her head, leering.

Meanwhile, Kagurin had apparently managed to grab onto the Blue Orb at the same moment Archie had. They were both on their knees, desperately trying to pull the Orb away from each other. Quickly, Lynnie dove towards them, striking the Blue Orb in an attempt to knock it way from Archie. Unfortunately, it rolled away from both Archie and Kagurin, and Archie managed to easily grab it, rising to his feet victoriously.

"I must thank you fools for helping me again," Archie smirked, recalling Sharpedo as he began to walk away.

"Not yet, Archie!"

Maxie jumped forward in attempt to tackle the man, but stumbled as Archie took a broad step away. The blue-clad man glared over his shoulder as he looked down at Maxie.

"What?" Archie said disdainfully. "You should know by now, Maxie. You simply can't keep up with me. You've never been able to… And you never _will_ be able to."

Archie calmly pulled another Pokéball off of his belt, releasing a large Crobat. The bat Pokémon quickly attached its claws to Archie's shoulders and lifted the man away, flapping its four wings steadily as it lifted away.

"No… no!"

Maxie roared as he pulled a Pokéball off of his belt as well, recalling Camerupt. He then released a slightly smaller Crobat of his own, and similarly, the Poison-Type lifted him into the air and hovered away.

"Now what?" Kagurin sighed. "Neither of us has a Flying-Type!"

"Is this my fault? I'm the one that knocked away the Blue Orb…" Lynnie blinked in realization.

"Of course not!" Kagurin replied quickly. "I mean… I should've helped you with the Red Orb…"

"Un…"

Slowly, a couple of the grunts began to stir. One of the Team Magma grunts sat up, her eyes widening as she looked around.

"Boss! Boss…? No! He left us…"

"We should have seen this…" a male Team Aqua grunt sighed as he sat up as well, and looked over at her.

"I… I don't want your pity! You're from Team Aqua!"

"Yeah! Leave her alone!" another female Magma grunt joined in.

"I feel kinda sorry for them, though," Kagurin commented, as she and Lynnie looked over at the squabbling grunts.

"Huh?"

The group silenced as they looked over at the two girls. At first, they looked suspicious, but then they seemed to realize something.

"You're… you're going to go after them, right?" a male Magma grunt questioned.

"Um, yeah. Are you mad at us or something?" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "I mean, they're you're bosses, right?

"Well…" a female Aqua grunt shook her head. "Y'see… I think this feeling's shared widely, but… They've been getting more and more corrupt."

"You might not know this, but we started out as mere environmentalist groups, and Maxie and Archie were always rivals," a Magma grunt added. "You can guess that Maxie always cared about the land, and Archie…"

"He loved the ocean," the female Aqua grunt finished. "But then they heard about these legendary Pokémon that had the power to increase the ocean and the land, and apparently they rest in this seafloor cave somewhere. These Orbs are supposed to control them, and that's when things got nasty. So… We can help you follow them, of you want."

"Really? How?" Kagurin blinked.

"We were all assigned Golbats or Crobats, too!"

"Yeah! You both can borrow one! Don't worry; they'll be able to find their way back to us."

"That's great! Thanks, guys!" Lynnie grinned.

Smiling as well, one Team Aqua grunt and one Team Magma grunt stepped forward and handed each girl a Pokéball. Two Crobats appeared beside them, clasping onto Lynnie and Kagurin's shoulders. It felt odd at first, but Lynnie quickly got used to the feeling of the Crobat's claws.

"All right, go get 'em!"

"Knock some sense into those power-crazed megalomaniacs!"

"Hey, don't say stuff like that in front of kids!"

"How old are you, anyway? Sixteen?"

Lynnie and Kagurin giggled as the grunts began arguing. Soon, however, one of the Team Magma grunts looked back over at the two girls.

"Um… Just so you know, they probably headed to Slateport," she said. "If they're going to this underwater cavern… Slateport's shipyard is working on a submarine."

"Yeah, we heard something like that," Kagurin nodded.

"Anyway…" The Team Magma grunt looked sincere as she went on. "Good luck. We really mean it!"

"Thanks again, guys!"

With that, the two Crobats lifted into the air, and Kagurin and Lynnie waved at the grunts. There was a rushing feeling in Lynnie's stomach as they began flying, but then she grinned, deciding that flight was definitely something she could get used to…


	43. Chapter Forty One: Vs Whiscash II!

_Author's Note_: Okay, so the whole both-teams-steal-the-submarine idea is borrowed a bit from PokéSpecial. But, if you think about it, this actually makes more sense. I mean, come on—we're just going to let Groudon run around while we go find Kyogre, right? …Not really.

**Chapter Forty One: Vs Whiscash II!**

"Ugh…"

Kagurin paled slightly as the pair of Crobats finally set her and Lynnie down onto the ground. They'd been flying for a few hours, mostly over trees or water, and Lynnie was also admittedly glad to be back on two feet. The Crobat pair then nodded at the two girls, and turned to fly away.

"I think this is why I don't have a Flying Pokémon," Kagurin sighed.

"Well… At least that's quicker than walking," Lynnie replied, crossing her eyes.

"I guess. Hey, how close are we to Slateport, anyway?"

Lynnie pulled her PokéNav off of her bag's strap and flipped it open. Selecting the map function, she blinked. A small flashing mark indicated their location just to the east of Slateport.

"Like, right next to it, actually."

Grinning, the two girls ducked around another tree and found themselves at the north-eastern edge of Slateport. The dirt path instantly fused into the paved sidewalk, and the familiar tall buildings were a relief.

"So… Do you think they'd head to the shipyard?" Lynnie asked.

"Well, there's a dock station near here, and if the sub's been finished by now, that's where it would be," Kagurin answered. "Let's go ahead and check there."

Lynnie followed Kagurin around a turn on the sidewalk, blinking. Somehow, on her last visit to Slateport, she hadn't noticed this path. Then again, she'd only really been to the Shipyard and Contest Hall…

Eventually, after another turn, they stopped in front of a large, cement building with a flat roof that sat on a shoreline. The door was already cracked slightly, and the two girls gulped as they peeked inside.

A large pool was on the edge of the room, and there was a slight gap on the left wall, which obviously led to outside. In the pool, the periscope of a submarine was visible near the water exit, and the ship then left the building. Lynnie blinked as she looked over to Kagurin.

"It's gone already?" she cried.

"Oh… I guess we left a bit too late," Kagurin sighed. "But if the sub's here, you'd think Captain Stern would be supervising it or something."

Suddenly, there was a crash from the other side of the room. A large stack of boxes was lined up near the wall, and one of them near the bottom had been shoved out onto the floor. Curiously, Lynnie and Kagurin snuck over, and gasped in surprise.

"Captain Stern?" Kagurin blinked, kneeling to help untie the man's hands.

"Un…"

Captain Stern groaned slightly as he sat up, putting his head in his now free hand. Shaking his head, he started tugging at the rest of the ropes tying him as he looked up at the two girls.

"What happened, Captain?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"Those two…" Stern grunted, getting the last rope undone. "They knocked me out… And it looks like they've taken the submarine, too."

"What were you going to do with it?" Kagurin asked.

"There's an underwater cavern somewhere between Sootopolis, Lilycove, and Mossdeep. We wanted to explore there… But to dive that deep, we needed an engine scanner and a special part that Mr. Stern made. Somehow, those men had those…"

"A scanner?"

Lynnie frowned, the name sounding familiar. She then groaned, remembering the box she'd found in the Abandoned Ship that she'd given to Courtney. The Devon Part had, of course, been taken by Team Aqua when she and Kagurin had been at the museum…

"Yes," Stern sighed. "We'd been looking for a scanner for a while."

"Well…" Kagurin suddenly grinned. "Do you have any other ships we can borrow?"

"You're not seriously thinking about going after those men, are you?" Stern's eyes widened. "That's…"

"Oh yeah! We heard that they wanted to go to a cave like that, right?"

Kagurin nodded, and her grin widened. Stern, however, shook his head again and frowned.

"Kagurin, we do have a back-up sub, but without those parts, I don't know how you can…"

"We just need to be able to get as far as them, and we can dive on our own! Lynnie and I both have a Water-Type."

"I suppose," Stern sighed. "Here…"

Standing up, Stern straightened his coat and led Lynnie and Kagurin towards the dock near the pool. A smaller submarine was near where the first had been, and Stern slowly pulled open the door. As the two girls stepped inside, Stern poked his head through the door.

"It's fairly easy to operate. The controls are there near the front."

"All right!" Kagurin grinned. "Thanks, Captain Stern, this'll be…"

"Wh-what?" Captain Stern blinked, straightening his glasses. "You're going on your own?"

"You did just tell us how to use it," Lynnie pointed out.

"And we promise we'll come back is something happens," Kagurin added.

"I… All right," Stern relented. "I'm keeping you up on that promise, then, Kagurin."

"I know, I know. Okay, Lynnie, let's go!"

"Bye, Captain!"

Stern sighed again, but sounded concerned as he closed the sub's door. Kagurin's grin widened as she and Lynnie tiptoed to the front of the sub. It was covered in screens, dials, and other miscellaneous lights and keys, and a wheel served for steering.

"This looks complicated," Lynnie frowned.

"Aw, it's okay. I used to sneak in and watch them build things on my way to Dewford. I think I know what I'm doing. Besides…"

Kagurin pressed a button under one of the monitors, and a small map of Hoenn popped up under the screen. She then typed something into one of the keyboards, and a small mark appeared on the screen, in the ocean to the east of Slateport.

"Um… What did you do?"

"That's a tracker. I put in the other sub's number," Kagurin explained. "It was on the periscope. Anyway, Captain Stern just said this one can't dive as far, so we'll have to dive ourselves when we get there."

"All right," Lynnie grinned.

The two girls slapped a high-five, and Kagurin turned to the steering wheel…

- - -

"So… How long have we been out here, anyway?"

Kagurin sighed as she answered. "A couple of hours… I think."

"Huh?" Lynnie blinked.

Kagurin shrugged. "They never added a clock on this thing. Don't you have a PokéNav?"

"Oh."

Blinking, Lynnie pulled her PokéNav off of her bag's strap and flipped it open. She sighed as she scrolled through the menu, bored and not actually checking her clock.

"Hey! The sub vanished!"

Lynnie looked up as Kagurin frowned. The other submarine had been displayed a few feet ahead of them, but it had suddenly disappeared from the screen.

"Maybe they dove?" Lynnie shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. That might make them out of range since this sub's not as good, and… Wait, I bet that means we're close to that cave!"

Kagurin's frown vanished and she reached for the steering wheel again. Gulping, Lynnie closed her eyes and felt her stomach turn. She'd been okay the whole trip, and definitely wasn't scared of the water, but every time they sank she got an odd feeling in her stomach.

When Lynnie opened her eyes, the sub had lowered itself so far that she could see the stone flats and sand rifts on the ocean floor. Several yards ahead of them, the stone rose up into a small underwater cave with an entrance just big enough for them to fit through.

"That looks kinda small to be the real cave," Lynnie sulked.

"I bet it's just a tunnel or something…" Kagurin commented as she cruised forward.

"Oh. I knew that."

The sub slid through the entrance, and the tunnel came to a dead-end and turned downwards after that. Kagurin tried to lower the sub again, but the engine made a whirring noise, and the sub refused to go down any farther.

"I guess this is what Captain Stern meant. We'll have to dive now," Kagurin explained.

"So… What do we do with the sub?"

"There must be a rope or something in here. Maybe we can tie it to something out there…"

The two girls got down on their knees as they searched around the sub for a rope. They soon found a pair of toolboxes, and one of them had a docking rope curled inside it. Kagurin pulled a pin out of her bag and picked the lock on the second one, revealing a pair of oxygen masks.

"These things are ugly," Lynnie announced as she attached the oval-shaped device to her nose and mouth.

"True, but it's this or nothing," Kagurin admitted, shrugging as she grabbed the rope. "All right, let's go!"

Lynnie sighed as she followed the brunette over to the two small emergency ejectors. They climbed into the small pods, and after Lynnie strapped herself in and pressed the red "eject" button, there was another rushing feeling in her stomach. Looking down from the tiny window in the pod, she saw the sub just below her, and Kagurin off to the side slightly.

Suddenly, the door to Kagurin's ejector opened, and she kicked downwards slightly, motioning to Lynnie. The blonde reluctantly turned the small wheel-like handle on the door and pushed herself out, swimming down to Kagurin.

Nodding, Kagurin pointed to the rope drifting out from the submarine. She'd apparently attached it to the inside of the door before they'd ejected, and she'd managed to grab the hooked end of the rope. Swimming to a small outcropping of rock near the sub, Lynnie and Kagurin secured the rope and grinned in relief.

Then, Lynnie grabbed Skipper's Pokéball while Kagurin reached for Turquoise's. The Swampert and Whiscash spun around in the water, smiling for a moment, before allowing their trainers to grab onto them. Following the tunnel, the two Water-Types swam downwards, and Lynnie found herself holding her breath unnecessarily for a minute; she hadn't realized how deep the tunnel went.

However, the tunnel soon veered to the right and then turned up. Skipper and Turquoise swam slightly faster on the way up, and then the four burst through the surface, apparently in a small pond. After a few feet, Lynnie and Kagurin could touch the bottom of the lake, and grinned as they recalled their Pokémon.

"So… This is it, right?"

"Yeah, the other sub's right over there…"

Lynnie blinked as Kagurin pointed to the large submarine anchored near the back of the pool of water. Crossing her eyes, she looked back to Kagurin.

"Right. Well, now all we gotta do is go find them! There are two tunnels up there, right?"

As the pond faded into a relatively dry stone floor, two small passages were visible in the back of the chamber. Kagurin nodded, unusually absently, as she and Lynnie reached the split in the path.

"But, you know, don't you think it's weird that Maxie and Archie _both_ took the submarine?"

"I guess. They wouldn't be able to use it otherwise though, right? I bet they're split up now," Lynnie said smugly, feeling proud of her reasoning. "So it would only take one of us to go beat them! Here, I think I have a coin. Let's flip!"

Kagurin nodded again, seeming to actually accept Lynnie's explanation. Smirking slightly, Lynnie reached into her pocket and pulled out a coin after several seconds of digging around.

"Okay, heads is right and tails is left. I get to flip it!"

Lynnie flipped the coin into the air, and managed to catch it in her palm. It laid face up, and she shrugged.

"All right, there you go. It probably won't be too hard to get back here…"

"Probably," Kagurin agreed. "Okay, let's do this."

Grinning, the two girls flashed a thumbs-up to each other, and started heading down their respective tunnels…


	44. Chapter Forty Two: Vs Legends!

_Author's Notes_: So, Archie and Maxie are back, and now we have Kyogre and Groudon. But seriously, don't try splitting up like this at home, kids.

**Chapter Forty Two: Vs Legends!**

_Bubble, bubble, hiiisssss…_

"Okay, that is _really_ annoying."

Lynnie crossed her eyes as the tunnel wound around. At first, it hadn't been too bad, despite the slight upward slope. Then, however, the air had started to get warmer and drier, and a bit of fog had started to form around her.

And as she'd gone farther, she'd started to notice small cracks in the wall. At first, Lynnie hadn't paid much attention to them, but then she'd started hearing gurgling noises. Figuring it had been her own stomach, she'd pulled out a chocolate bar earlier and tried to eat it. When it melted a bit too quickly to be chalked up to her own body heat, Lynnie had been more than a bit confused.

Now, as she licked the chocolate off of her fingers, Lynnie noticed some kind of red, bubbly liquid coming out of the cracks in the wall. Finally putting two and two together, she realized the noise had to be bubbling magma.

"What kind of Pokémon are they looking for, anyway?" Lynnie grumbled aloud.

The path suddenly took a sharp turn to the right, and Lynnie had to stop herself from stumbling into the wall. Sighing, Lynnie ducked around the turn, and took another right a bit more carefully.

Then, the temperature seemed to rise a few more degrees, and Lynnie groaned as she felt sweat form on her forehead. The path widened out a bit, and small pools of lava were scattered around the ground. Taking a final turn, Lynnie arrived in a large chamber with a huge lava pit in the middle.

"What _is_ that?"

Lynnie blinked as she noticed the silhouette in the middle of the lava. Tiptoeing a bit closer, she squinted and realized that it looked like some kind of Pokémon, albeit a really big one with a large tail and spikes.

"Heh, heh… heh… That is my prize, my dear midget. You have no idea how easy it was to just follow you! I may have been able to find Groudon on my own… But this way, I'll be able to… eliminate you. Two birds with one stone, as they say."

Yelping, Lynnie spun around in time to see a flashing red light…

- - -

"Huh. I could've sworn I just heard something…"

Kagurin tapped her chin thoughtfully as she paused. She thought she'd just heard something like a shout, and pretty close by. But that couldn't be—she and Lynnie had taken opposite hallways after all, and they probably came out nowhere near each other.

Shrugging, the brunette carefully stepped around a large puddle, and water dripped from the ceiling a few feet away. The tunnel floor sloped downwards slightly as she walked, and the water puddles grew larger and closer together.

As Kagurin took a turn, she gasped in surprise. She'd just turned into a large chamber, the whole back section of which seemed to be flooded. A set of bubbles appeared in the water every few seconds, and the coordinator shrugged, figuring there was something sleeping in the middle of the lake. Kagurin took a few steps closer, finally seeing the huge creature in the water.

"Oh, such a sweet reunion… you fool."

Kagurin blinked as heavy footsteps sounded behind her. Spinning around, she saw a tall, blue-suited man in a blue bandana. He smirked, delicately holding a small blue jewel in his hand.

"Archie!"

"Hm. I'm not here for theatrics. I just want… to awaken that foolish Kyogre over there. This Blue Orb is rumored to control it…"

"Yeah, well… I won't let you," Kagurin grinned, putting a hand on her hip.

"Silly girl," Archie sneered. "You have failed to stop me twice already, remember? All I need to do is step closer…"

"Diamond, go!"

Kagurin quickly grabbed her Sableye's Pokéball, and Diamond gave her usually toothy grin as she appeared next to her trainer. Quickly, the Ghost-Type started her usual Psychic and Shadow Ball combo, but Archie looked eerily unfazed. Smoke suddenly formed where Diamond's combo should have been, and when it cleared, a snarling Mightyena was standing next to Archie. A few shadows lingered around its mouth, and Kagurin realized it had used Shadow Ball as well.

"I told you that you could not stop me… Pitiful."

Archie leered as he took a few steps forward. Kagurin turned her head away as he grabbed her by the collar. His grip was loose, but his eyes were piercing.

"Get out of my sight, you fool."

The Team Aqua leader easily tossed Kagurin out of the way, and she stumbled into the wall. Diamond instantly jumped in front of Kagurin, hissing.

"Sable…!"

Raising her hands, Diamond tried to form another Shadow Ball. Mightyena, however, agilely darted towards Diamond and sank its teeth into her arm for a Crunch attack. It then swung Diamond out of the way, and Kagurin winced.

"Diamond!"

"Shouldn't you be just a tad more worried about… this?"

Archie's smirk widened as the Blue Orb started to glow. He took a few more steps towards the lake, and there was suddenly a slight splash.

Kyogre lifted itself up slightly, its eyes gleaming red. It let out an ear splitting roar and then dove downwards, water rushing forward in waves as a result. Archie and Kagurin covered their faces and tried to duck, but were struck and washed back all the same.

Trying to shake herself off, Kagurin instantly reached for Diamond's Pokéball. Fortunately, her Pokémon had landed close to her, and she sighed in relief as she recalled the Sableye.

Archie, however, was furious.

"What was that?" he sputtered, trying to wring water out of his sleeves. "The Blue Orb is supposed to control…! And where did Kyogre go?"

Kyogre had absolutely vanished. Now that most of the water had drained to the front of the chamber, Archie had the chance to wade forward a few feet to where the legendary Pokémon had been. Abruptly, however, the cave's floor apparently cut off at a steep drop-off, as Archie almost tottered over.

"This can't be!" he cried.

Suddenly, the ceiling started to shake, and bits of the cave's roof started to fall to the floor. Kagurin and Archie paled as cracks started appearing above them.

"Did he… find Groudon?" Archie hissed. "And right above us? That fool!"

Archie stumbled out of the remainder of the lake and started to bolt. Kagurin gasped, starting to run towards the tunnel as well. However, a black flash caught her eye first, and she paused…

- - -

"…What the heck?"

After Lynnie had blinked the red light out of her eyes, Maxie had emerged from the tunnel behind her, smirking and holding the Red Orb. As the orb finished flashing Lynnie had grabbed for Skipper's Pokéball, but Maxie had just as quickly released his Mightyena. Before the two could start fighting, though, Groudon's eyes had flashed, and it awoke with a roar.

Now, the ancient Pokémon was slashing at the cave floor around it, and Lynnie and Maxie stood agape. The floor was starting to crumble, and it probably wouldn't hold up much longer even if Groudon stopped digging. Groudon suddenly did stop moments later, as if it had just remembered something. Then, it turned around and cleanly tore through the wall behind it. When the rubble cleared, the Ground-Type had vanished.

"No!" Maxie howled. "I can't… Why did… Where is it?"

The Team Magma leader darted towards the hole in the back of the chamber, but before he could, the floor in front of him gave in and fell to the lower level of the cave. He scrambled backward, looking eerily like a spider, and withdrew Mightyena as he rose to his feet.

"This… This is all your fault!" he shouted.

"Hey! I didn't do anything, Maxie," Lynnie retorted. "You're the one that did that thing with the orb!"

"Swamp!" Skipper added in agreement.

"I… I… I can't let it go!"

Maxie turned and began to flee as more of the floor crumbled. Lynnie crossed her eyes and looked over at Skipper, sighing as she withdrew the Swampert. Even she realized she had to get out of there, and fast, and she dashed towards the tunnel exit after Maxie.

Panting, Lynnie eventually stumbled into the main chamber of the cave, where she and Kagurin had first entered. Maxie was still quickly dashing away, but this time towards the docked submarine. Seconds later, Archie emerged from the other tunnel and instantly made for the sub as well.

"Wait… Where's Kagurin?"

Lynnie blinked, realizing she should probably be heading towards the pool exit herself as the whole cave was starting to rumble now. However, she didn't want to leave without Kagurin, either. What if the brunette was stuck somewhere?

"L-Lynnie!"

Kagurin suddenly ran out of the left tunnel, trying to catch her breath. Lynnie sighed in relief as she darted towards the taller girl.

"Kyogre's gone!" Kagurin exclaimed. "What happened to Groudon?"

"It's gone too. It made this, like, huge quake when it left too…"

"Oh, so that's what… Hey, look!"

Archie and Maxie were still at the submarine, apparently squabbling over something. The two girls rolled their eyes at each other as they darted over to the team leaders. They were tugging the keys to the sub between them, and Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"Hey, guys, are we going to go stop them, or not?" Kagurin asked.

"Stop?" Archie looked up, appalled. "You fool! That was never the point!"

"Our goal here was to_catch_ them," Maxie hissed. "The only reason we _both_ came here was because we each had a submarine part the other needed."

"Well… Okay. You guys can stay here while we go, then," Lynnie giggled.

Quickly, the blonde grabbed the keys to the sub from Maxie and Archie and opened the sub's door. Hopping in, she grinned at Kagurin, and the brunette ducked in after her. Maxie and Archie both looked stunned as the cave started to rumble.

"How foolish _are_ you?" Archie cried, shoving Maxie out of the way. "I'm not going to be _crushed_ in here!"

"Nor am I!" Maxie roared.

The two men somehow managed to stumble into the submarine. Kagurin and Lynnie rolled their eyes again as they stood up.

"That's nice. Well, I'm driving," Kagurin announced.

"What?" Maxie and Archie chorused.

"I know how to use the tracker. And the timer. And pretty much everything else in here. I mean, I _was_ at the Shipyard a few times when this was being built."

"…Perfect," Archie mumbled. "Out done by a little girl."

"I'm fifteen!" Kagurin replied. "Anyway, we don't have a lot of time left. We have to get out of here before the cave totally crumbles."

"Which wouldn't have happened if you guys hadn't been super lame in the first place," Lynnie added.

"So when we find Kyogre and Groudon, you two better do something about it."

With that, Kagurin started up the sub. Typing a few commands into the tracker and timer, she grinned and started steering…


	45. Chapter Forty Three: Vs Gyarados!

_Author's Notes_: Because Maxie and Archie are complete geniuses, they are going to be cleaned up after by a couple of meddling kids and a very pretty champion. Oh, and I always kinda wondered why the Orbs suck so much for apparently being "controllers." I was also tempted to throw a Sparta joke in here, but… It just didn't happen. Also, I always thought that since Clair could fly on a Dragonair in the anime, that you should be able to fly on a Gyarados too, so… yeah.

**Chapter Forty Three: Vs Gyarados!**

"That was a bit too close."

"Yeah." Lynnie sighed. "I'd hate to be that little sub. Seriously, that has to suck."

"I'd hate to be the cave, actually."

Kagurin had just managed to steer the submarine out of the tunnel leading to the Seafloor Cavern. The cave had crumbled behind them as they'd left, unfortunately taking the small sub with it as the sub had still been where the two girls had left it.

A snort from Archie came from the back of the sub. He and Maxie had been a bit too quiet the whole trip, and Lynnie and Kagurin sighed as they looked at the two men. Before any of them could say anything though, the sub's tracker started beeping.

"Hey, we've got something!" Kagurin shrieked.

"Where? Where?" Lynnie cried.

Kagurin turned the focus dial for the tracker's display. The map zoomed in slightly around a spot marked "Sootopolis City." Two flashing marks appeared right next to the city's icon, and the mark for the sub appeared a few feet to Sootopolis's east.

"Wow," Kagurin blinked. "We've been this close the whole time?"

"I guess," Lynnie blinked back.

Suddenly, however, Kyogre and Groudon's icons appeared inside Sootopolis. Frowning, Kagurin directed the sub to rise to the surface. As she did, though, waves formed above them, and the closer they got to the surface, the worse the waves were.

When the sub finally reached the surface, the waves were heavier, and severe rain was falling. Moments later, the ocean calmed down, and the sun burst through the clouds. Then, the rain started again, and a few waves started to reappear.

"Hey, what's up with this?" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "And—and—where's Sootopolis City?"

As the erratic weather patterns continued, Lynnie and Kagurin peered through the sub's small windows. There was no sign of a city in sight, but several feet away, a large white mountain-like formation with an apparently open top rose out of the water.

"Doesn't that look sort of like a volcano?" Kagurin commented.

"That's because it _is_ a volcano, you fool. A very dormant one, mind you."

The two girls spun around in confusion as Archie rolled his eyes. Next to him, Maxie folded his arms across his chest, nodding impatiently as if he were grudgingly agreeing.

"So… How do we get in?" Lynnie asked slowly.

"Dive under again. There's an underwater entrance… of course."

Kagurin blinked, and then had a "Duh!" look on her face as she finally typed a few new commands into the sub's command keyboard. The sub slipped under water again, albeit a bit roughly due to the waves. She and Lynnie sighed in relief when they were finally deep enough to avoid the storm, and Kagurin started steering again.

"I guess you also know why there's this weird weather," the brunette commented.

"Kyogre and Groudon, of course," Maxie growled. "This was the point… Groudon supposedly created the continents. It also can cause arid climates… That's what I wanted to control…"

"Fool. You still would have had Kyogre to deal with eventually. You forget it formed the oceans! I was going to have it expand Hoenn's oceans."

"But that's all just mythology, right?"

Archie and Maxie glared at Lynnie as she scratched the back of her neck. True, the weather now probably indicated something… But she'd never even heard of Kyogre and Groudon until then.

But then again, that could partially have been due to the fact that she'd slept through about half of Earl's lectures on the legendary Pokémon.

"How could you _not_ know about Kyogre and Groudon?" Archie retorted.

"Hey…" Lynnie pouted.

"Wait, I think we're almost here!"

Kagurin grinned as she pointed towards the sub's windows, one hand still on the wheel. Lynnie eagerly peeked through one of the glass panes, and Maxie and Archie slowly followed after her. The sub was apparently right near another underwater tunnel, and Kagurin quickly steered towards it.

Fortunately, the sub managed to fit through the narrow entrance. After a bit of winding, the tunnel rose upwards, and Lynnie and Kagurin held their breaths as they got closer to the stormy surface.

When the submarine burst up to the top of waves, the four occupants each wore an identical look of surprise. Kyogre rammed itself downwards into the water, causing strong waves to crash into the twin shores of Sootopolis City. Groudon was standing on an island in the middle of the lake, roaring as it summoned a sudden surge of sunlight. The wave vaporized, and the Ground-Type launched a Solar Beam at Kyogre, hitting it dead-on.

"Th-this is madness!" Archie cried as another wave struck the ship.

While the wave was a bit weaker than the ones Kyogre had been causing, it still managed to knock the sub into the west shoreline. Stumbling towards the door, Maxie and Archie struggled with the door for a moment before managing to get it open. Lynnie and Kagurin quickly jumped out after them, and the four tried to back up towards slightly higher ground as yet another wave hit the shore.

Kyogre growled, its eyes glowing as it managed to summon rain again. Lynnie winced, ducking as she realized there was a bit of hail in with the rain as well. As she looked around, the blonde realized that was probably what had caused most of the damage to the town. The small buildings positioned around the slightly mountainous terrain had some shattered windows and small hail marks, while the rain had also whipped around the few hardy plants.

"So—what do we do?" Kagurin cried.

"There's only one thing we can do, really."

A dark shadow suddenly loomed over the quartet, and a blue serpentine Pokémon roughly landed in the waves. The Gyarados's trainer gracefully stepped onto the shore, his blue-and-white clothing dripping as they clung to his body. Wet blue hair fell out from under his white hat, and he looked tired.

"The Blue and Red Orbs. You two have them, don't you?"

"Who are you?" Maxie hissed. "And they already failed once. What makes you think…"

He and Archie pulled the jewels out of their coat pockets as if to say, "I told you so." The two resignedly raised up the Orbs towards the respective Pokémon they wanted, humoring the blue-haired man. They glowed for a moment, causing an eerie light to spread out towards Kyogre and Groudon.

However, the legendaries merely seemed to get angrier, roaring as the light hit them. The gems shattered as Kyogre and Groudon's eyes glowed back, and they two resumed their fight with more fury. Kyogre created an even larger wave, nearly flooding the building areas and knocking down Groudon. The Ground-Type howled as it crawled back up, causing the sun to burst through the clouds with more intensity.

"If this keeps up…" the man sighed.

"Huh? You don't seem very worried!" Lynnie cried. "You said that was the only thing left!"

"And you still haven't introduced yourself," Kagurin added.

"Oh, I deeply apologize. My name is Wallace," he smiled, bowing deeply. "And I am sorry I was not clear earlier. I meant to say there was one thing left if the Orbs failed."

"And what would that be?"

Wallace slowly wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead as Maxie leered. He then calmly turned to the redhead, still smiling slightly.

"I'm sure you two, of all people, have heard of Sky Pillar."

"…You fool! You'd summon Rayquaza?"

Nodding in response to Archie, Wallace then turned to Kagurin and Lynnie. The two girls blinked as he addressed them.

"Rayquaza can halt heavy weather, and in mythology, it was the being who calmed Kyogre and Groudon thousands of years ago," he explained. "I believe if we can find it, we can halt them again."

"Wait, we?" Lynnie crossed her eyes. "Why us? And what if those two escape while we're gone?"

"Don't worry. I don't believe we have to worry about them," Wallace chuckled, seeing Lynnie point to Maxie and Archie. "Besides, if they did try to use the sub… I regret to say that I don't believe they'd be much longer for this world. They'd be insane to try diving now that our legendary Pokémon have become angrier. However, looking at the pair of you, I do believe that I have finally found a pair who can aid me in climbing Sky Pillar. The tower is quite an old relic and takes a large amount of teamwork to climb."

"All right!" Kagurin grinned, flashing a thumbs-up. "I guess we could do that, right, Lynnie?"

"Well, if it means showing Archie and Maxie that they're wrong, and then calming down those Pokémon… Then hey, I guess it sounds like fun!"

"Perfect," Wallace smiled again, approaching Gyarados again. "Now don't worry. Gyarados here is surprisingly tame, and he and I have developed a way for him to fly."

"Wait!"

As Wallace, Lynnie, and Kagurin climbed onto Gyarados's back, rain suddenly started to pick up again. Turning away from watching Kyogre blast a Hydro Pump at Groudon, the three on Gyarados blinked down at Maxie. The man had folded his arms across his chest, and was scowling up at Wallace.

"What do you propose that we do then?" he hissed.

"Gentlemen, I suggest you find some very high ground. Then, be sure to watch the spectacular battle between those beasts that you so kindly awakened. Au revoir."

With that, Gyarados suddenly propelled himself out of the water by thrashing his tail. The fins on the upper part of his body swayed like wings, and Lynnie grinned as they got higher and higher into the air. Soon, they reached the small opening in the top of the volcano town, and Gyarados easily fit through it.

"I had no idea a Gyarados could fly like this," Kagurin commented.

As they exited the top of the town, Gyarados straightened himself out. His fins still beat the air, and he kept moving forward by continuing to thrash the end of his tail. Wallace gave another smile to the brunette as he answered.

"Well, it does come in useful for times when it's too dangerous to surf. But fortunately, Sky Pillar is not too far to the south from here."

True enough, it only took a few minutes of flying before a small, mountainous island came into view. An extremely tall tower had been constructed in the middle of the island, but it was surprisingly narrow as well. It looked quite old, and weather marks covered the lower bricks of the building. However, higher up on the pillar, clouds began to form, completely covering it. The upper stories of the building were completely protected from the harsh rain going on at the moment.

"The weather has only spread about this far," Wallace explained as the sun started shining through the rain. "However, I fear if we do not act soon, the rest of Hoenn will be affected."

The harsh waves became slightly tamer as Gyarados landed in the water near the island. Groudon must have been in control of the fight again, Lynnie realized as they stepped onto the shore. Wallace recalled Gyarados, and turned to the two girls.

"This is the first time in centuries anyone has had to visit Rayquaza. However, in Sootopolis, we have records that the inside of Sky Pillar is quite winding and dangerous. Are you sure you'd like to continue?"

"Well, you did take us all the way here, so why not?" Lynnie replied.

Wallace laughed amusedly. "Good answer. Now, let's enter."

As they approached the small stone door of the tower, a sudden small quake shook the island. It wasn't very strong, but it was still enough to cause the three to stumble. The earthquake died down quickly, but Wallace's eyes widened.

"That was not very dangerous… But if we could feel it here, I fear for Sootopolis. Can you two manage this?"

"What?" Lynnie frowned. "You're leaving us?"

"I'm sure is Groudon has overpowered Kyogre this much, then it should be safe for you two to surf back; the ocean should stay calm for a while. I believe in you two."

Wallace quickly released Gyarados again and agilely leapt from the shore to his Pokémon. He gave a confident look to Lynnie and Kagurin, and Gyarados slowly started beating his tail in the water again. As Gyarados propelled himself into the air, two very surprised girls were left blinking after it on the island, unsure of where to begin.


	46. Chapter Forty Four: Vs Rayquaza!

_Author's Notes_: Yay, Rayquaza. (does a dance) Although I originally thought he would be Emerald's version of how Kyogre and Groudon were in Sapphire and Ruby. Oh well, Ray still rocks.

And I'm going to change Sky Pillar a bit because all those floors of cracked tiling were annoying. Yes, I know, technically in Emerald it's not until the second time through that the floor's like that—but as there is going to be no "second time," I just went ahead with this. But this is all going to be weather-ish things, or sort of.

**Chapter Forty Four: Vs Rayquaza!**

_Creak… Slam!_

"That can't bode well."

After a few seconds of blinking after Wallace, Lynnie and Kagurin had finally realized that it would be a good idea to go on into Sky Pillar. Lynnie had then quickly opened the loose stone door of the building, and it had just slammed shut behind them.

Kagurin blinked as the door closed, and then she and Lynnie looked around in the room they'd entered. It was small and square, with a sandy floor to match the outside of the island. The roof sagged a bit, and there was a staircase in the back.

"Hey, this doesn't look too difficult," Lynnie commented, crossing her eyes.

"Yeah… Well, let's just go on up, then, I guess."

As they headed to the staircase, Lynnie dug the toes of her sneakers into the sand, slightly bored. The stairs weren't sand, she realized disappointedly; the stone echoed loudly when she walked on it. When she and Kagurin reached the top of the stairs, they both blinked again.

The floor was stone, like the stairs had been, and similarly stone walls rose up to about the height of Kagurin's shoulders. The walls formed a maze, and the stairs were in the back. As they took a step closer, they realized the floor in between the walls was covered in thin cracks.

"This is great," Lynnie grumbled.

"I guess this is what Wallace meant. Maybe you should go across first," Kagurin said thoughtfully. "I mean, you're probably lighter than me, so it would be easier to tell where the really weak parts are."

"Okay. I guess this could be fun…"

Lynnie grinned, and darted across the floor to the end of the mini-hallway. Fortunately, none of the tiles cracked under her feet, and a few seconds later, Kagurin started to follow. There were a few places where the floor creaked under the brunette, but she made it across safely too.

The rest of the second floor wasn't very cracked either, and the maze was relatively small. After a couple more turns, Lynnie and Kagurin managed to make it to the back of the room with the floor in tact, but they were panting slightly.

"Well, that wasn't too hard," Kagurin breathed. "I wonder what's on the next floor."

Hurriedly, the two girls climbed the staircase, and they reached the top fairly quickly. They groaned when they reached the landing, though—there was another maze.

"We have to do this again?" Lynnie complained.

However, the blonde went ahead and jogged to the first section of the maze. Putting her foot down on the cracked tile, Lynnie gulped when the tile cracked a bit further. When she put her other foot dawn, the floor started to crumble, and Lynnie yelped.

"Lynnie!"

Kagurin quickly reached out and pulled Lynnie away from the falling tile. The blonde caught her breath as she stumbled backwards, sighing as she heard the broken tile hit the floor below.

"Maybe I should go first this time. If the floor breaks, I'll be able to pull you across."

With that, Kagurin carefully took a step onto the cracked floor. The tile groaned but didn't break, and the taller girl took a few more steps. Lynnie started to follow after her, and they managed to make it to the end of the hallway without falling again.

As Kagurin set her foot down on the next part of the maze, though, the tile cracked further and started crumbling. Shrieking, she grabbed Lynnie by the wrist, and the two girls darted across the floor as it fell out behind them. Fortunately, those were the only two sections of the maze for that floor, and Lynnie and Kagurin gulped as the reached the staircase.

"I don't wanna do that again," Lynnie panted.

"We might have to," Kagurin replied. "But… how are we supposed to get back down later?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes. "Um… Jumping off the tower won't work, and we can't fly off… I guess we'll find something… Let's just go on."

She and Kagurin took the stairs up to the fourth floor, and sighed in relief when they got up to the landing. There was no maze, and the floor looked solid. Unfortunately, though, there was a dripping above them, and suddenly, a small pillar of water rushed down from a small hole in the ceiling.

"So… This time all we have to do is avoid the water, right?"

"Yeah," Lynnie grinned. "And we can use Skipper and Turquoise to help with this."

"Hey, good idea!"

Kagurin grinned back as she reached for Turquoise's Pokéball, and she and Lynnie released the two Water-Types. Turquoise and Skipper looked up at them curiously.

"So, guys," Lynnie started. "There are these water traps… pillars… things, in the ceiling. Can you help us listen for them?"

Turquoise and Skipper nodded and closed their eyes. The Whiscash's whiskers stiffened, and Skipper's head fins waved slightly. They looked at each other and nodded, and then Skipper pointed right above where Lynnie was standing.

Ducking out of the way, Lynnie and Kagurin blinked as another water column burst through the ceiling. They took a few steps forward, and Turquoise and Skipper focused again. As the two Pokémon successfully located another burst of water, their trainers grinned.

Soon, they reached the back of the room, safe and dry. As they recalled the two Water-Types, Lynnie sighed.

"I hope the next floor is more normal."

She and Kagurin took the stairs up again, and blinked when they arrived on the next floor. Instead of the last floor's water jets, this room was almost ridiculously warm and bright. There didn't seem to be any extra lighting or heating in the room, or any windows for that matter, but Lynnie almost instantly felt her face getting warmer.

"At least there aren't any tricks here," Kagurin groaned.

However, as the two girls took a few steps forward, the floor started to rumble. They stopped instantly, and the floor stood still again. Looking at each other confusedly, they took a few slow steps. The floor shook more slowly this time, and Lynnie suddenly grinned.

"I get it! It just shakes to how fast we move. Can we run?"

"I dunno… But hey, it's worth a try."

Lynnie and Kagurin started jogging, and the floor rumbled more strongly. Abruptly, Lynnie sped up, and Kagurin yelped as she tried to keep up; the floor was shaking so strongly that it fell down behind them. Moments later, they had to dash up the stairs quickly to avoid falling down with the floor.

"Not… worth it…" Lynnie wheezed as she gripped the banister.

"Let's go… slowly on the next… floor," Kagurin sighed.

When they arrived on the sixth floor, the two girls stopped to catch their breath. When they opened their eyes, Lynnie blinked. A heavy fog covered the floor, and they could barely see in front of them.

"I think I have an idea!"

Lynnie grabbed Oakley's Pokéball and released the Nuzleaf. Oakley yawned as she looked up, stretching as she looked curiously at her trainer.

"Hey, Oakley, try to see if a Razor Wind will clear the fog, okay?"

"Nuz!"

Oakley nodded and closed her eyes, spreading her arms behind her. Three small whirlwinds whipped up behind her, and Oakley threw her arms forward. The attack whirled forward, successfully blowing away a bit of the fog, and the stairs were slightly visible in the back of the room.

"Awesome, Oakley!"

"Leaf!"

Lynnie and Kagurin slapped high-fives as the blonde withdrew Oakley. They quickly jogged forward before the fog could form again behind them and reached the stairs. As they climbed up, the air seemed to thin a bit.

"Uh… Can you breathe, or is it just me?" Lynnie asked, crossing her eyes.

"N-no, I can't either…"

Finally, they two girls arrived on the next floor after a particularly long staircase. As they looked around, they realized why the air had seemed thinner. Apparently, the top floor was just the flat roof, and it was completely surrounded by clouds. Lynnie blinked, wondering if she would have been able to see the ground even if the clouds hadn't been there.

However, the most notable thing about the top of the pillar wasn't its appearance. A giant green Dragon Pokémon was coiled up across the room, the gold patterns on its sides glinting dully. Its narrow eyes were closed under the spikes on its face, and similar spiky wings grew out of its back. Small claws protruded from its short arms, which were folded under its large head.

"That's Rayquaza, right? I didn't know legendary Pokémon slept," Lynnie mumbled.

"Of course they sleep," Kagurin whispered back.

"That's not what I meant! I know they sleep. I just meant I didn't think they slept when the other ones were fighting!"

Apparently, Lynnie had been shouting louder than she thought, as a loud yawn escaped Rayquaza's mouth. Its tongue darted out as it slowly opened its eyes, and it blinked sleepily at Lynnie and Kagurin. It didn't really look surprised, but it didn't look particularly excited either.

"Um… H-hey there, Rayquaza!" Lynnie tried, realizing how forced it sounded several seconds after she said it. "Y'see, well, Kyogre and Groudon are in this nice little argument, and…"

"Except it's not really little, and…" Kagurin added.

Rayquaza continued to stare at Lynnie and Kagurin appraisingly for a few moments, and Lynnie gulped, suddenly feeling like it was an exam day at Earl's Academy for some reason. However, suddenly, a much stronger earthquake shook the pillar, and the two girls felt their knees wobble. Rayquaza roared as the earthquake died down, apparently having made up its mind. It started to lift into the air, uncoiling itself as it went.

"W-Wait! How are we supposed to get back now?" Lynnie cried.

"Lynnie, let's—hey, what?"

Kagurin gasped as Lynnie darted forward, jumping and managing to grab onto Rayquaza's tail. The taller girl dashed after Lynnie, jumping just in time to cling onto Rayquaza as well as its tail started lifting up. Roaring again, Rayquaza streamlined itself and burst through the clouds, ignoring the two humans hanging onto it…


	47. Chapter Forty Five: Vs Legendary Titans!

_Author's Notes_: And it looks like the Kyogre and Groudon thing is done now. Well, it'll be nice to get rid of Maxie and Archie I suppose… But given that Lynnie still only has six badges, she can't quite face Juan yet, so I had to come up with something…

**Chapter Forty Five: Vs Legendary Titans!**

"Y'know, Rayquaza flies a lot better than Gyarados."

"Well, I don't think Gyaradoses usually fly, Lynnie."

"Yeah… but… Hey, it's _really_ hot up here."

Rayquaza had shot off straight from the top floor of Sky Pillar, and the sun was beating down on them. Lynnie crossed her eyes as she wiped sweat off her forehead, but Rayquaza seemed barely bothered by the weather. Suddenly, though, a pale green aura surrounded the dragon, and Lynnie amazingly didn't feel hot anymore despite the fact that the sun was still blazing.

"Um, Kagurin? What's it doing?"

"Wallace did say something about Rayquaza halting weather…"

"This isn't very much though," Lynnie whispered, hoping Rayquaza didn't hear her.

"It probably has to wait until we get to Sootopolis. Speaking of which…"

The white volcano slowly appeared on the horizon, and Rayquaza roared as it picked up speed. Soon, they arrived at the top of the formation, and the green Dragon-Type dove through the top, going almost straight down. Before Lynnie had a chance to blink, the green aura surrounding Rayquaza expanded, and the legendary Pokémon thrashed its tail towards Sootopolis's western shoreline, effectively tossing off Lynnie and Kagurin.

While the ground had apparently taken damage from Kyogre's attacks, Groudon had managed to dry out the land a bit, and the two girls managed to land on a safe patch of land—albeit on their knees. Looking up, Lynnie saw Groudon standing on a small rocky patch of land in the middle of Sootopolis's lake, towering over Kyogre. The Water-Type was panting, and its fins were drooping. Groudon howled and started to launch a Solar Beam, but it halted instantly as it was surrounded by a green light.

Rayquaza was hovering directly over them, the green aura spreading out from around it. The two other legendaries looked up, seemingly shocked, as the light spread out and filled Sootopolis. Oddly, the temperature seemed to return to normal, and Rayquaza shrieked. It then lifted its claws slightly, and Kyogre and Groudon slowly faced each other again.

"Hey, say what?" Lynnie blinked.

"But look, they don't look mad at each other anymore," Kagurin replied.

Surely enough, the two Pokémon had drooping eyelids and seemed almost peaceful—as peaceful as two legendaries who had just been fighting could be, at least. They nodded slowly, entranced, and Rayquaza roared again. Looking weakly at each other, the two legends looked back at Rayquaza obediently.

The dragon then slowly wrapped its tail loosely around Kyogre and Groudon. Closing its eyes, Rayquaza put a claw on each Pokémon's forehead, and its aura seemed to intensify. Giving one last roar, Rayquaza pulled away and began to soar out of the top of the volcano.

Then, a large rumble shook the area around Groudon and Kyogre. The Ground-Type languidly slashed into the ground and managed to dig a makeshift route out of the town. Kyogre, however, slowly swum towards the underwater entrance to Sootopolis, sinking slightly more under the water every few feet. Moments later, both Pokémon were gone in the blink of an eye.

"Wh-What just happened?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"I don't get it either..."

A loud splash sounded from nearby, and a Gyarados slithered through the water towards them. The two girls blinked again as they saw Wallace jump off the Pokémon's back and walk gingerly towards them.

"It looks like I was right about you two," he smiled. "You did get to Rayquaza… And it seems Kyogre and Groudon were nearly finished with their battle anyway. Calming them at this point was even easier."

"But the whole time we were flying back here, Rayquaza was ignoring us!" Lynnie protested.

Wallace laughed lightly. "Don't worry; I'm sure it saw something in you. Consider, if you will, what would have happened if those two men went instead of you. Rayquaza most likely would have purposefully delayed its return for a few more moments. And the fact that it let you on its back is something, too."

"Right, Lynnie!" Kagurin grinned. However, she then frowned. "But speaking of Archie and Maxie… Where did they go?"

"Oh? They disappeared the moment Rayquaza flew in. They must have realized the grave mistakes they had made… if only for their own sakes." Wallace sighed and closed his eyes, and then raised his hands. "And Sootopolis will need much time to recover."

Lynnie and Kagurin looked around the small city from where they were standing. Some areas of the town looked flooded, while others were contrarily parched. Hail and rain from Kyogre's storms had damaged many of the buildings, and small fissures cracked the ground in various places from Groudon's quakes. The island in the middle of town had suffered the most damage, however; the ruins of what looked like a small building covered the dry land, and deep craters filled with water pockmarked the land.

"Fortunately, most of the city's people evacuated when the weather started acting oddly… But the gym has been destroyed."

"That was the gym?" Lynnie cried.

Wallace nodded slowly, turning to the side. "And I have not seen Juan through all of this."

"Who's Juan?" Kagurin asked.

"Ah. He… took over the gym recently." Wallace forced a smile onto his face. "But he told me he wanted to rebuild it anyway."

Lynnie and Kagurin looked at each other for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say. Normally Lynnie didn't pause so much before talking, but she really didn't know whether she was supposed to laugh or not right then. However, before either of them could say anything, Wallace drew them into a brief hug.

"I don't know how to thank you. Sootopolis would have been much worse off if Rayquaza hadn't come when it did."

"Hey!" Lynnie ducked out of Wallace's arm when she felt something drip onto the top of her bandanna. "You're not supposed to cry at a time like this. You should be, like… more excited!"

Wallace blinked as he stepped back, and surprisingly, he started to laugh as he put his face in his hands. "Steven was right about you. You really are something else."

"Lynnie, who's Steven?" Kagurin whispered.

"I dunno," Lynnie whispered back. "I remember hearing that name before, though…"

Still chuckling, Wallace pulled his hands away from his face. He slowly turned towards Gyarados again, and as he touched the Water-Type, he looked back over his shoulder at the two girls.

"I… thank you. You would be welcome to stay, but please, go somewhere a bit safer for now. I'll be sure to let you know when reconstruction is almost finished. Good luck to both of you!"

With that, he climbed onto Gyarados's back. The Pokémon gave an awkward grin to Lynnie and Kagurin, and then turned and slowly started swimming. Then, it beat the water with its tail and launched into the air, thrashing its way to the raised area in the back of town.

"Y'know, Lynnie," Kagurin said as she looked down at the blonde moments later. "I think I'm actually going to miss all this craziness. Not being in danger, I mean, but… Okay, maybe I shouldn't say this, but running across the floor in Sky Pillar was kinda fun."

Lynnie giggled at the memory. "Yeah. Hey, let's go on out, okay? We'll figure out where to go… eventually…"

The two girls burst into laughter as they reached for Skipper and Turquoise's Pokéballs. Appearing on the shore next to their trainers, the two Pokémon cocked their heads in confusion. Lynnie grinned as she looked at Skipper.

"Hey, Skipper. There's really no place to go here, so… Let's dive on out, okay?"

"Swamp!"

Skipper nodded as Lynnie climbed onto her back. Kagurin held onto Turquoise, and the Whiscash started swimming farther past the shore to keep Kagurin's feet from dragging across the ground. Then, Skipper followed after Turquoise, and when the water got deep enough, they dove under.

Lynnie closed her eyes as the water rushed up at her. However, she grinned to herself as Skipper quickly swam forward, looking for the small tunnel leading out of the town…


	48. Chapter Forty Six: Vs Aggron!

_Author's Notes_: Yay, Mossdeep City. Steven gets to come back for now, and we'll see Tate and Liza soon… But I won't mention the Space Center much, for obvious reasons.

And I love spring break, by the way. I'll be able to do two chapters this week. (dances)

**Chapter Forty Six: Vs Aggron!**

"Hey, Kagurin? How long do you think we've been surfing?"

"I dunno. Sootopolis looks _really_ far away though."

"Yeah…"

Lynnie took a quick peek over her shoulder. The white volcano was slowly shrinking over the horizon, but it didn't feel like they'd left all that long ago. Sighing, Lynnie looked forward again as Skipper started swimming a bit faster.

"Do we even know where we're going?" Kagurin asked.

"That's a good question. I guess we'll know when we get there," Lynnie replied, shrugging.

"Cash?"

Turquoise's whiskers suddenly twitched, and the Whiscash paused. He then proceeded to turn to his right and started swimming quickly, barely keeping a rather surprised Kagurin behind him. Skipper cocked her head curiously, hurriedly trying to keep up with Turquoise.

Adeptly dodging a rock formation jutting out of the water, Turquoise started to slow down. When he stopped, he raised a whisker to point at their destination. Lynnie crossed her eyes as she and Skipper caught up.

"Hey, Turquoise, what was that all ab—whoa!"

Lynnie blinked as she saw a large, rocky island rising out of the water ahead of them. The cliffs surrounding it were quite steep, but Lynnie could still make out a few buildings on the island. Pulling out her PokéNav, she selected the map function.

"It says that's Mossdeep City," she announced. "But how are we supposed to get up there?"

"Pert?"

Skipper slowly pointed towards a section on the cliff. A makeshift ladder had been carved into the cliff's wall, consisting of the indents as footrests. The two girls looked at each other and groaned.

"Oh well. I guess that's the only way up," Kagurin sighed.

Lynnie grumbled under her breath as Skipper and Turquoise swam closer to Mossdeep. The water started to get shallower, and eventually Lynnie and Kagurin could both stand up easily. As they recalled their Pokémon, Kagurin looked up at the ladder.

"I might even have to jump a bit to get up there," the brunette frowned. "Are you gonna be able to get up there?"

"Yes! I got on that old boat just fine, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

Kagurin grinned sheepishly as she turned back to the cliff wall. She barely had to jump before she could start climbing, and a few seconds later Lynnie jumped after her. Admittedly, Lynnie almost missed the first indent though, and scraped her knees a bit as she went up.

Several minutes later, Kagurin crawled to the top of the plateau, and Lynnie scrambled after her. As they dusted themselves off and looked around, Lynnie crossed her eyes again.

Mossdeep was barely larger than Littleroot Town, and almost all of its buildings were dull one-stories. However, there was a Pokémon Center and a Poké Mart, and a large cylindrical glass building was in the southeast part of town. Also, Lynnie's interest started to rise a bit more when she saw a dome-shaped building in the back of town; a lavender arch near it read "Mossdeep Gym."

"Yay! A gym!"

Kagurin scratched the back of her neck. "I never did like gym battles…"

"Well, I kinda treated contest battles like gym battles sometimes," Lynnie pointed out.

"Right. I guess it would be fun to watch…"

The two girls grinned as they started walking around Mossdeep. The dirt trails turned and curved often, making Lynnie slightly dizzy. Several trees along the path had roots that jutted out of the ground, and the blonde nearly tripped on a few.

"Um, Lynnie? Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm fine." Lynnie folded her arms over her chest. "But, uh… Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Huh? I thought we were… Besides, Mossdeep isn't even that big…"

"But look, the gym's still way over there!"

Lynnie impatiently pointed to the distance. The gym sat a ways away from them, and Lynnie couldn't help feel that they had just gone in a huge circle. Kagurin blinked, and then sighed.

"I guess we took a wrong turn or something."

"Excuse me. Do you two need any help…?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes as she heard the voice, the back of her brain nagging that she'd heard it somewhere before. Looking up, she and Kagurin saw a tall, silver-haired young man in a black jacket glancing curiously at them. A large steel Pokémon that vaguely resembled a Rhydon stood next to him, folding its arms crossly.

"Oh? Lynnie, it's been a while," he smiled.

"Lynnie, who's this?"

"Huh?" Lynnie crossed her eyes for a moment. "Oh, yeah! It's Steven, right?"

"I'm glad you remember. And this is Aggron; he and I have been training today."

"There are places to train around here?" Kagurin asked.

"Surf a bit north of here and you'll find Shoal Cave," Steven explained as he withdrew Aggron. "It's quite chilly, and the tides are unpredictable, so it makes a very tough training area, and… Oh, Lynnie? What is that in you bag?"

Lynnie blinked as Steven pointed to the small unzipped pocket on the front of her bag. As she reached down, she noticed a small green object was sticking out of it. Pulling it out, she recognized it after a few seconds.

"Hey… This is the Leaf Stone that Brendan gave me. I totally forgot about it!"

"Well, do you have any Pokémon that can evolve with a Leaf Stone?" Steven said interestedly.

"Your Nuzleaf, right?" Kagurin supplied.

Lynnie nodded and grinned as she grabbed Oakley's Pokéball. As the Nuzleaf materialized next to Lynnie, she stretched and looked around. Spotting the Leaf Stone in Lynnie's hand, Oakley cocked her head to the side.

"Nuz?"

"So, Oakley, you can evolve with a Leaf Stone, right?"

Oakley paused, looking like she was thinking for a moment. She then nodded and reached out to take the stone. When Lynnie handed it to her, it started to give off a green aura, and Oakley started to glow as well. After a few seconds of flashing, the Leaf Stone turned dull and fell to the ground, and the glow faded from Oakley.

The Grass-Type now stood up to Lynnie's shoulder, and a long, white, leafy mane grew out of her head. Fan-like growths covered her hands, and long ears poked through her mane. Oakley experimentally raised her fans, grinning.

"Shif… try!" she cried.

"See? Stones like this can be quite useful."

Steven smiled again as he knelt down to pick up the used Leaf Stone. He pocketed it and turned back to the two girls.

"I hope you don't mind me taking now that you've used it. I collect and sort stones, you see."

"My little brother does something like that, except he collects these weird berries he finds near our house," Kagurin commented thoughtfully.

"I don't know if that's really the same thing," Lynnie whispered.

"…Oh."

Steven laughed pleasantly and started to speak again, but something rang from his pocket. He abruptly reached into the pocket, pulling out his PokéNav—apparently he had a phone call. As it rang again, he turned apologetically to the two girls.

"I'm sorry, I have a call. Perhaps if you're in town for a while, we'll be able to talk again."

With that, Steven opened the oval device and selected the call, walking away. Lynnie looked at Kagurin and sighed, and then looked at Oakley. The newly-evolved Shiftry blinked back at her.

"Hey, I guess it was a good thing we ran into him, right Oakley?"

"Shift!"

Oakley nodded, and Lynnie and Kagurin laughed. Taking out Oakley's Pokéball again, Lynnie withdrew her and frowned.

"And now we get to wander around and look for the gym again."

However, before they could take another step, Lynnie's stomach growled loudly. She sheepishly scratched her neck as Kagurin giggled.

"Maybe we should find the Pokémon Center first. I'm kinda hungry myself."

Grinning, the two girls eagerly started looking of the usual red roof…


	49. Chapter Forty Seven: Vs Lunatone!

_Author's Notes_: Well… Okay. So Kagurin's not really gone. She's just uh, temporarily not here. Yeah. But we do have Tate. And he is extremely cute. But the whole "Wow we're twins!" thing in the game was just kinda… boring, so I'm changing that.

**Chapter Forty Seven: Vs Lunatone!**

"Um, Lynnie… You're about to put your face in your sandwich."

"…Huh?"

Lynnie jolted up into a sitting position, realizing she'd started to drift off. She grinned sheepishly and picked up the remnants of her ham sandwich, picking a few pieces of ham away from the bread crust. Yawning, she paused before swallowing the rest of her food.

"My bad. What time is it, anyway?"

Kagurin squinted as she looked at the clock in the back of the cafeteria. "Wow, almost eight. It's later than I thought."

Lynnie rubbed her eyes and put her chin down on the table, pushing her plate out of the way and sighing. Quickly, Kagurin finished off her own sandwich, seeming to catch Lynnie's drift. Standing up, the brunette stretched and looked down at Lynnie.

"You wanna go on to bed?"

"Well, yeah…"

Lynnie slouched as she got up and followed Kagurin out of the cafeteria, throwing her plate away on the way out. The two girls the followed the long hallway to the common room, hurriedly pulling sleeping bags out from the provided box. Fortunately, there weren't too many people in the room yet, so the two girls got first dibs in a spot in the back of the room.

"Hey… Kagurin?"

Yawning, Lynnie crawled into the green sleeping bag and looked over at Kagurin. The brunette was fiddling with the zipper on her own bag, but looked on over at Lynnie.

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow? How about we go look at that weird glass building after we go to the gym?"

Kagurin smiled tiredly. "Sounds fun…"

"Okay. 'Night, Kagurin."

"Good night, Lynnie…"

Lynnie rolled over onto her side, smiling in anticipation as her eyelids started to droop.

* * *

The next morning, Lynnie scrunched her eyelids closed more tightly as she felt sunlight streaming down on her. How late had she slept? Lynnie sat up slowly, reaching over to her bag for her PokéNav. She blinked as she selected the clock—it was ten already.

"Hey, Kagurin! How come you didn't tell me… to wake up… earlier…?"

Lynnie slowly trailed off as she looked to the spot on the floor next to her. There was no sign of the brunette; even the battered red sleeping bag she'd used had been put away. Instead, a small piece of paper was lying on the floor, along with a single Pokéball.

_Lynnie, sorry I already got up. This Pokéball has Archie's Mightyena in it. I found it whenever he released Kyogre, because he ran out before getting Mightyena. Make sure the nurse gets it, okay? I had to leave early to get back to Mauville on time. See you later? –Kagurin_

"…What the heck?"

Crossing her eyes, Lynnie stood up quickly, holding the note in one hand and the Pokéball in the other. Quickly swinging her bag over her shoulder, Lynnie dashed into the lobby, forgetting to turn in her sleeping bag. She skidded to a halt in front of the reception desk, and the nurse gave her a startled look.

"Um, may I help you…?" the pink haired woman blinked.

"Er…" Lynnie panted. "Okay, so… Can you take care of this Mightyena for a little while? Its trainer… left it behind."

The nurse's eyes widened as she took the Pokéball. "That sounds terrible."

"Yeah, terrible… Hey, do you happen to have the sign-out sheet for this morning?"

"Yes, but why?"

"I need to see if… if Kagurin Enoki checked out."

Frowning but nodding, the nurse pulled a clipboard off of a shelf behind her. She then flipped back a page or two until she spotted the name.

"Oh, yes. She signed out early, around seven. But still, why…"

"It's nothing. Thanks!"

Lynnie quickly turned around, heading for the Pokémon Center's door. As she left the building, she took her PokéNav off of her bag's strap again, crossing her eyes as she dialed a number…

"Lynnie?"

"Hey! Why did you leave?"

Kagurin's surprised face appeared on the small screen as Lynnie scowled. Looking away, the brunette scratched the back of her neck.

"Well, you know. I haven't been home in a while, and as good as Shuki is, he can't cover for me forever…"

"Oh, come on!"

"What was I supposed to say? _Sorry, I was saving the world_ or something like that?"

Lynnie giggled. "Well, no, but… Still!"

"Aww, Lynnie… I had to. Diamond and Silver have both been out of it lately without training. Besides, Mom and Dad are retiring soon, so Shuki and I have to get used to running the center, and I knew you'd be a lot more upset if I waited until you woke up to leave."

"Okay, you have a point there—hold up, what center are you talking about?"

Kagurin blinked. "You didn't notice? I know you've been to Verdanturf before, right?"

"Yes… Where are you going with this?" Lynnie frowned.

"So you saw the Day-Care Center between Mauville and Verdanturf then. Well, actually, it's closer to Mauville, but…"

"Day-Care Center?" Lynnie shrieked. "No, I didn't notice! Isn't that where people leave their Pokémon to… to…"

"Yeah, to breed," Kagurin finished, looking totally casual. "It's okay, Lynnie. I mean, I'm used to this stuff already, you know? Besides, that's how Shuki and I got our Pokémon. It's also the reason why Shuki's Zangoose and Seviper aren't totally killing each other, since they hatched together."

"Oh." Lynnie deadpanned. "Well, uh… I better let you get back to that Day-Care thing then… Where are you right now, anyway?"

"I just left Lilycove, so I should be to Fortree in about an hour or two… And then Mauville in another few hours. No big."

"All right… Um…" Lynnie bit her tongue. "B-Bye, Kagurin."

Kagurin grinned. "Bye, Lynnie!"

Lynnie closed the connection quickly and flipped her PokéNav shut. As she clipped it back on her bag's strap, she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"She still could've told me…"

The blonde stared at the dirt path as she started walking. Consequently, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and as such bumped into something after a few steps. Blinking as she stumbled, Lynnie managed to catch herself and look up.

"Um, are you okay?"

A short, skinny boy with dark hair blinked in concern and helped her up. A few strands of his hair had fallen out of his bun, and he brushed them away quickly as he smiled.

"You were crying," he said.

"No I wasn't!" Lynnie protested.

"It's okay. My sister makes fun of me for that all the time," he sighed. "My name is Tate, by the way. What's yours?"

"Lynnie," she replied, still feeling slightly irked. "But…"

"Hey, I know! Would you like to have a battle? Sometimes I feel better when I train," Tate suggested, grinning.

Lynnie grinned back, suddenly forgetting that she'd been upset a minute ago. "Sure! I like battles."

"Okay, great! Go, Lunatone!"

Tate released a large, crescent-moon shaped Pokémon with wide, red eyes. It blinked owlishly at Lynnie as she tried to choose what to use. It looked like a Rock-Type, and she hadn't used Domino in a while, so she immediately grabbed his Pokéball.

"All right, I'll use Domino."

The Breloom materialized next to Lynnie, bouncing slightly as he looked up at the levitating Lunatone. Tate cocked his head to the side curiously as he glanced at Domino, and then nodded to his own Pokémon.

"Lunatone, let's try Psychic."

_Oh, snap…_ "Hey, Domino, use Mach Punch!"

Lunatone's eyes started to glow, and a pale red-violet aura surrounded it. As the energy started to spread out towards Domino, the Breloom grinned and leaned forward. Ducking, he darted towards Lunatone and rammed his fist upward before the Psychic could hit him. The Rock-Type tumbled upwards and started to crash back down, and Tate flinched.

"Okay, try Rock Slide…" he started.

"Eh… Use Giga Drain, Domino!"

Lunatone managed to stop itself mid-air and panted to catch its breath. It then half-closed its eyes, and small stones formed around it. Domino, however, stretched his short arms out slightly, and he and Lunatone were surrounded by a green light. The levitating Pokémon started sinking again, and as it winced its Rock Throw dropped to the ground as well. After a moment, Lunatone flopped over onto the ground, evidently near fainting.

Lynnie grinned. "Okay, once more should—"

"_Tate_! What have I told you about wandering around by yourself?"

Lynnie stopped mid-sentence and blinked. The two trainers, and their Pokémon, looked up as the voice floated towards them, and Tate gulped. A dark-haired girl who looked remarkably similar to Tate—she even had her hair up in a bun and was wearing an identical blue outfit—was hurriedly walking towards them, her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry, Liza," Tate sighed. "B-but, I was bored, and…"

"Huh." Liza folded her arms across her chest. "Well, look, your Lunatone just lost to a Fighting-Type! And besides, what if we had a challenger at the gym while you were gone?"

"Um… I don't know…"

"Hey, wait a second!" Lynnie cut in. "Gym? I didn't know two people could both run a gym!"

Liza blinked as if she'd forgotten Lynnie was there. However, she then smirked as she started to explain.

"It's because we're twins. And when we tried out for the Gym Leader selection test, the League said we were both good enough to be Leaders anyway."

"Well, isn't that great," Lynnie grumbled. She then lit back up. "Hey. If I just beat a Gym Leader, do I get a badge?"

"I'm sorry… But it doesn't work like that…" Tate apologized.

"Yeah, our gym's different! Since we're both the Leaders, you have to beat both of us to get the badge. Besides, we do two-on-two battles, not singles."

"Two-on-two battles? I'm good at those, too," Lynnie replied, grinning.

"All right, we'll be expecting you at the gym later then. Come on, Tate!"

Tate waved sheepishly as he hurried after Liza. Sighing, Lynnie shrugged as she watched them go, and then turned back towards the Pokémon Center. She hadn't actually eaten breakfast yet, and she wanted to be extra energized for her upcoming gym battle.

It wasn't every day she got to fight two Leaders at once, after all.


	50. Chapter Forty Eight: Vs Solrock!

_Author's Notes_: Okay, so… The Mossdeep Gym is _slightly_ based on Emerald, since the RS version was weird. And yes, Tate and Liza have two more Pokémon in Emerald. But given that Claydol was really annoying (Earthquake and Levitate much?), and Xatu is just lame… They just still have Lunatone and Solrock. Yeah.

**Chapter Forty Eight: Vs Solrock!**

"Macey Steele, Lauren Order, Lynnie Maple, Grayson Black…"

Lynnie grinned as she got up from the Pokémon Center's couch and headed over to the main counter. Several other trainers were getting their Pokémon back from the nurse as well, with varying looks of enthusiasm on their faces. As Lynnie eagerly clipped her Pokéballs back on her belt, she couldn't help thinking that several of the other trainers looked like they'd just lost an important battle.

"…So I challenged the Gym Leaders this morning, after breakfast, and my Pokémon are just now healed," a short, dark-haired boy sighed.

"Don't worry, I lost earlier too," a girl offered in condolence. "The whole double battle thing got me…"

Grin widening as she turned to the door, Lynnie shrugged off their comments. She'd already beaten Tate, after all. A two-on-two couldn't be much more difficult…

As the glass door slid closed behind her, she instantly pulled out her PokéNav. Lynnie didn't want to spend the rest of the day wandering around just looking for the gym, after all. She selected the device's map function as she started walking and zoomed in on Mossdeep City. Quickly, she followed the path the map indicated, hoping she'd be at the dome-shaped building soon.

Suddenly, just a few left turns from the Pokémon Center, Lynnie was standing in front of the gym. She crossed her eyes as she clipped her PokéNav back on her bag's strap, looking around. Lynnie groaned a few seconds later in realization.

"This only took a few minutes! And Kagurin and I took forever…"

Grumbling under her breath, Lynnie leaned forward to reach for the door handle. The door creaked as she opened it, and Lynnie winced as she stepped inside. When she opened her eyes, she blinked.

Only the area immediately around her was lit, and there were oddly-colored tiles on the floor near her. Large, round buttons were on the walls above the weird tiles, and like the lights on the ceiling, the buttons glowed in dim, neon colors. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie wondered exactly how she was supposed to battle when she couldn't even see.

"Oh, hi, Lynnie! You're here already."

Suddenly, Lynnie heard footsteps, and Tate appeared in front of her. She bit her tongue to prevent a startled yelp, and crossed her eyes again. Tate smiled, and Liza's laugh floated out towards them as the girl stepped next to her brother.

"Yeah!" Lynnie grinned, looking around. "So… how does this place work?"

"That's easy," Liza replied smugly. "All you have to do is solve the maze. You have to be standing on the right tile… _And_ you have to press the right button. Then you get to come to the next room!"

"I bet I could do that." Lynnie folded her arms, smirking. "It'll be easy!"

"We'll see about that."

"Liza..." Tate frowned. He then looked over at Lynnie. "Good luck."

The two then turned around, stepping back into the shadows of the room. Seconds later, Lynnie couldn't hear their footsteps anymore, and she crossed her eyes as she walked forward. She could just go in the same direction they just had, and she'd be fine…

_Smack!_

"…Who put a glass wall there?"

Scowling, Lynnie rubbed her forehead as she stepped backwards. She'd just hit her head on a transparent wall, and she agitatedly put her hands on it. There had to be a door on it somewhere if Tate and Liza had just disappeared… After a few seconds of searching, Lynnie gave up in frustration, sighing.

Turning to the set of oddly-colored tiles near the back of the room, Lynnie frowned. They were set in a corner, with two flashing buttons on the wall over each tile. Lynnie closed her eyes, pointed out in front of her, and spun around. When she opened her eyes, she was pointing at the tile on the left side of the wall, and she shrugged as she walked over to it. She then jabbed the left button, and when she didn't get a response, she poked the right one instead.

Suddenly, Lynnie heard a creaking noise, and a door swung open in the glass wall near her. She grinned as she walked back over and went through the door. The hallway behind it was completely dark and wound around for a while, but Lynnie picked up her pace and got through it quickly. The next room was lit and slowly came into view, and Lynnie's grin widened.

_Next room, here I…_

"Huh?"

Lynnie blinked as she stepped into the room. Two round pedestals were on either side of it, and Tate and Liza were sitting on one with their legs dangling over the edge. Liza frowned as she looked down at Lynnie.

"Normally people guess the wrong tile and have to go through several rooms," she explained. "You have no idea how lucky you just got."

"Well, I guess I am pretty lucky… Can we start the battle now?"

"Of course."

Liza's frown disappeared as she and Liza stood up. Eagerly, Lynnie climbed onto the opposite pedestal, her hand instantly going towards her Pokéballs.

"Ready when you are," she called.

"Good. Let's go, Solrock!"

Liza released a large orange sun-shaped Pokémon with several yellow spikes poking out of its body. She cocked her head and looked over at Tate, and he reluctantly sent out his Lunatone. As Lynnie looked at the two Psychic-and-Rock Pokémon, she immediately took out two of her own Pokéballs.

"All right, I'll go with Skipper and Oakley!"

The Swampert and Shiftry materialized on the floor a few feet below Lynnie. Lunatone and Solrock blinked eerily as they looked down at the two Pokémon, but Lynnie shrugged. Liza nodded to Tate after looking at Skipper and Oakley, and he nodded back.

"Solrock, use Rock Slide!"

"Okay, Lunatone, follow with Psychic!"

Solrock tilted slightly and spun around, forming a few large rocks around itself. Then Lunatone closed its eyes, and it was surrounded by a light glow. The energy surrounded Solrock's Rock Slide, and carried the attack towards Lynnie's Pokémon in an irregular pattern.

"Quick, Oakley, use Razor Wind," Lynnie countered. "And then use Water Gun, Skipper!"

Nodding, Oakley raised her fan-like hands and threw them to the side, whipping up three small whirlwinds. They blew forward, crashing into Solrock and Lunatone's combo and causing the rocks to fall to the floor and shatter. Skipper then crouched forward and looked up, blasting a stream of water out of her mouth. Her attack hit Lunatone, making it crash into Solrock; the two tumbled in the air for a moment, but quickly managed to recover.

Liza nodded to Tate again without batting an eye as she called out her next attack. "Shadow Ball!"

"You too, Lunatone."

Solrock and Lunatone simultaneously closed their eyes, shadows forming around them. They merged both shadows together into one large Shadow Ball, blasting it towards Skipper and Oakley. Skipper tried to duck while Oakley leaned to the side, but the attack was too large and still ended up hitting them. The two Pokémon skidded backwards, and Lynnie crossed her fingers. Fortunately, they both stumbled back up, and Lynnie sighed in relief.

"Okay, guys! It's time for our combo," she grinned. "Use Whirlpool, Mud Shot, and Razor Wind."

Skipper leaned forward, shooting water out of her mouth and forming it into a whirlpool. She then fueled it with a Mud Shot, and Lunatone and Solrock were soon caught into the vortex. Oakley slowly launched another Razor Wind, and the whirlwinds hit the whirlpool one at a time, speeding it up. The two Psychic-Types flew out of the combo a few seconds later, crashing to the floor of the gym.

Solrock weakly managed to float back up, although it hovered a bit lower than it had before. Conversely, Lunatone looked like it had fainted, as it didn't manage to get up again. Tate and Liza both looked confused as they looked down at their Pokémon.

"Do we not go on if it's a two-on-one or something?" Lynnie asked, crossing her eyes.

"Well, technically yes, but this hardly ever happens," Liza answered. "Oh well. Tate, I'll finish up."

"Okay," Tate sighed, reluctantly recalling Lunatone.

"Right… Use Flamethrower!"

Solrock quickly blasted the stream of flames from one of its spikes out at Oakley. She tried to use Razor Wind again to knock the flames away, but the whirlwinds didn't form in time. The Flamethrower still hit her, and the singed Grass-Type skidded back before falling over.

"Hey, Oakley! Can you still get up?"

Lynnie held her breath as Oakley blinked. The Shiftry tried to stand up, but tumbled over again. She sighed resignedly as she weakly looked up at Lynnie, and the blonde nodded.

"All right, I'll withdraw you. I guess it's down to a one-on-one now?"

Liza shrugged as Lynnie recalled Oakley. "That just makes it easier for me! Solrock, finish with Solar Beam."

Solrock started to glow, and a bright green beam blasted from another of its spikes. Lynnie stuttered as she watched the attack form, and Skipper crouched in what looked like an attempt to duck. The Solar Beam still hit her, though, and Lynnie closed her eyes, fearing the worst.

Instead, she heard a loud thud, and opened her eyes in confusion. Solrock had evidently just fallen to the ground and fainted, and Skipper was still standing. Lynnie realized what had happened a few seconds later, as a light glow faded from around Skipper.

"Awesome! Was that a Mirror Coat, Skipper?"

"Swamp!" Skipper nodded, looking pleased with the praise.

"Well…" Liza withdrew Solrock, looking resigned. "That was unexpected."

"Wasn't it?" Lynnie smirked, withdrawing Skipper as well. "Do I get to have a badge now?"

"Of course!" Tate grinned.

As Tate closed his eyes, a small glow emanated from his pocket. A heart-shaped badge floated out of it and towards Lynnie, and she caught it easily. She clipped the badge onto her bag's strap, grin widening as she looked back at the twins.

"That was actually kinda fun."

"Yeah," Liza admitted. "But if we ever battled again, we would totally win."

"No you wouldn't."

Lynnie answered Liza smugly as she started to climb down from the pedestal. She looked up at the other girl and winked.

"Just kidding. You might be able to…"

"Might?" Liza repeated incredulously.

"Um…" Tate cut in nervously. "Don't argue."

"_I'm_ just teasing," Lynnie replied. "Anyway… I bet your next battle won't be as awesome. See you later!"

"Ha… Good bye, Lynnie!"

"Bye!"

Lynnie waved as she headed back to the small glass door she'd come through. As she headed out, she felt a vague sense of relief that she wouldn't have to worry about the tiles or buttons again in order to leave.


	51. Chapter Forty Nine: Vs Skarmory!

_Author's Notes_: So, uh… We're about to go back to Sootopolis now, and stuff. Maybe the presence of the awesome Steven can make up for the chapter's length (or lack thereof)? I guess there has to be a short chapter every once in a while, and I've been super busy with rehearsals for my school's musical lately. But at least I'm mentioning the Space Center, finally.

**Chapter Forty Nine: Vs Skarmory**

Lynnie sighed as she sat down in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria. She'd just gotten her Pokémon back from the nurse, and was poking at a bowl of salad rather disinterestedly. Normally, winning a gym battle would have her excited, but she was thinking about the Sootopolis gym. Lynnie crossed her eyes, wondering when exactly she could go; the town was in bad shape, after all, and the gym still had to be rebuilt.

Furthermore, Lynnie had forgotten to leave her PokéNav's number with Wallace, so she really had no way of knowing. The blonde sighed as she stabbed a cherry tomato with her fork, chewing slowly as she hoped there was some other way to find out.

After a few more minutes of playing idly with her lettuce, Lynnie finally got up and threw the leftovers away. She sighed as she walked back into the lobby, pulling her PokéNav off of her bag's strap. Maybe there was still something in Mossdeep she could go look at…

Lynnie selected the device's map function and zoomed in on Mossdeep. She crossed her eyes as she noticed a large, round icon marked in the bottom of the area, and then zoomed further in on that. It was labeled "Mossdeep Space Center," and Lynnie blinked as she zoomed out a bit. Checking the rest of the map, she noticed the building wasn't too far from the Pokémon Center.

Shrugging, Lynnie headed for the door. It might be fun to go check it out; at least it was something to do. As she closed the glass door behind her, Lynnie looked around quickly, spotting the large glass cylindrical building she'd seen before.

"So that's what that is!" Lynnie grinned to herself. "Kagurin and I should have gone when we got here."

Lynnie hurriedly took the dirt path to the south, following the curves until she got to the space center. A large cement yard spread out behind it, but the building itself blocked most of the yard from view. Curiously, Lynnie went on through the revolving doors, and stopped short when she entered.

Large drafting tables lined the tiled room, and scientists scurried around small models and blueprints. Another group was anxiously gathered around the wide windows in the back, and several others were hurriedly going up and down a staircase on the side wall. There was another smaller group sitting around one of the tables, trying to sketch something.

"Oh? Lynnie?"

Lynnie blinked and looked up when she heard her name. Steven was leaning against the back wall; he'd apparently been watching whatever the large group was occupied with. Smiling slightly, Steven waved to her, and Lynnie hurried over.

"Hey! So, uh, what's going on?" she blinked.

"They just launched a small satellite a few hours ago," Steven explained. "Occasionally, I bring Metagross here and help get accurate launch readings. It's surprisingly adept with analyzing the launchings."

"Ah," Lynnie deadpanned, trying to process a few of the larger words he'd used. "That's… interesting. Um, anyway, I was just kinda… wandering around."

"Have you been to the gym yet?" Steven asked curiously.

"Yep! I just got my seventh badge, too!"

As Lynnie proudly showed him the Mind Badge, Steven grinned. However, he then had a surprised look on his face, as if he'd just remembered something.

"That reminds me—Wallace called me earlier. He said he was hoping you were around here."

"Huh? Why?" Lynnie blinked.

"Well… Reconstruction has already started in Sootopolis. Fortunately, many of the buildings didn't need too many repairs, so things are going quickly. He wanted me to let you know that you're more than welcome to come back again."

"Does that mean I can have my gym battle already?"

Steven shifted slightly. "I'm not so sure about that… You know how badly the gym was damaged. You may be able to soon, though. Oh, and Wallace wanted you to let your friend know that he'd be glad to see her again as well. Where is she, by the way…?"

"Um," Lynnie mumbled. "Not here. Kagurin left a little while ago."

"I see. Well, if you'd like to go on anyway, I can lend you my Skarmory. He can fly you there quite quickly, and he can return on his own."

"Really?" Lynnie perked back up. "That would be awesome!"

"All right. Here—"

"Ah, Steven, we need you over here! We need some more data on Launch 36."

A female scientist brushed her long hair out of her face as she strode past Steven. Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a look that read "Hurry up!" Smiling resignedly, Steven quickly pulled Skarmory's Pokéball off of his belt and handed it to Lynnie.

"Don't worry; he's far more docile than he looks. Now, I have to hurry along. Good bye, Lynnie! Good luck."

"Thanks! Bye, Steven!"

Lynnie paused for a moment as she watched Steven hurry upstairs with the scientist. She then grinned and started winding around all the tables again to get back to the front door. Gripping Skarmory's Pokéball with one hand, she shoved the door with the other, and then quickly ducked through it as it started revolving to avoid hitting her head on one of the panes.

When she had taken a few steps away from the Space Center, Lynnie pressed the release button on Skarmory's Pokéball. The metallic bird spread his wings, stretching, and then looked down at Lynnie, blinking. Grinning sheepishly, Lynnie scratched the back of her neck as she looked up at him.

"Hi there… Steven said I could borrow you. Will you take me to Sootopolis?"

Skarmory nodded and slowly lowered his wings to allow Lynnie to climb on his back. It took a few tries before she finally could, as she had to jump to reach him and she slipped a couple of times. Finally, Lynnie managed to balance herself on Skarmory's back, clinging slightly to his neck.

_I bet this looks weird though_, Lynnie thought to herself stupidly. _I mean, it took me forever to get up and now we're just sitting here and not m—_

However, before Lynnie could inwardly finish her phrase, Skarmory screeched loudly and stretched out his wings again. With a several slow beats, the Steel-Type lifted into the air, hovering for a few seconds. He then streamlined himself and dove forward, and soon they had whizzed past the edge of the small Mossdeep island.

_Well, at least it'll be a fast ride_, Lynnie grinned, eager to leave the tiny town behind her.


	52. Chapter Fifty: Vs Kingdra!

_Author's Notes_: Yay, it's Sootopolis again… And Juan is quite stylish. He also makes a good eighth leader. I suppose this is why Wallace is so awesome.

Also, I have now hit my "official" fiftieth chapter (prologue and intermission notwithstanding). I'm really quite proud that I've written so much in less than a year, and I still have a bit left to do, too.

**Chapter Fifty: Vs Kingdra!**

"Wow, it's pretty nice up here when it's not scorching…"

Lynnie grinned as she clung to Skarmory's neck. The Steel-Type was speeding through the air between Mossdeep and Sootopolis, and they were getting closer and closer to the white volcano. Currently, the sky was clear and the sun was half-covered by light clouds, and Lynnie crossed her eyes as she remembered the erratic weather from the last time she'd been in the area.

Skarmory screeched as he started to fly a bit lower. Sootopolis was now in clear view, and the landform was getting closer and closer as he started to pick up speed. Holding her breath, Lynnie grinned again as Skarmory suddenly hovered over the small opening over Sootopolis.

Lynnie held on to Skarmory surprisingly carefully as he descended into the town. He then leaned forward, diving towards the east bank of the central lake. Relieved, Lynnie literally slid off the Pokémon's back and landed on her feet.

"Thanks for the ride!" Lynnie grinned.

Nodding, Skarmory took a quick breath as he stretched his wings again. A few minutes later, he slowly started to beat his wings and lifted into the air. Lynnie blinked, and then Skarmory had suddenly flown nearly up to the top of the volcano. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie shrugged as Skarmory soared away.

"I wonder how much reconstruction they've had to do," Lynnie sighed, deciding to look around a bit.

As she stood on the shore, she scanned the area round her. Most of the buildings on both shores just looked like they had patched up roofs or windows. However, there were a couple of places where houses had been knocked down, and foundations and frames were starting to be set up.

On the small island in the center of town, the small bit of the gym that had been left had apparently been leveled. It had apparently gotten the most attention, as the building seemed to be mostly built—a large concrete structure with a flat roof—but there was no glass in the windows yet.

"Oh well," Lynnie frowned. "Actually, it's kind of late now. I bet they'll be working on it more tomorrow."

"You bet correctly, mademoiselle."

As Lynnie turned back around to look for the Pokémon Center, she stopped herself just in time to avoid running into the person who'd just spoken. A fairly tall, gray-haired man with white bangs appeared to be heading towards the Pokémon Center as well—Lynnie blinked when she noticed it was actually just a few yards away from where she was standing. Ignoring the sudden urge to slap herself for not noticing earlier, Lynnie instead blinked as the man straightened his blue jacket.

"Um, thanks?"

The man laughed. "Do not worry, it was a compliment. Oh, I apologize—I should introduce myself. I am Juan, the Gym Leader here. Will you honor me with _your_ name, miss…?"

Lynnie blinked for a moment. He was really the Gym Leader? She shook her head, remembering that Wallace _had_ mentioned a guy named Juan…

"Er, I'm Lynnie."

"My pleasure. Now, I believe I heard you say something about the gym?"

Nodding, Lynnie sighed. "Yeah, but I guess you guys are still working on it, right?"

"Indeed, and in fact, I am in charge of our reconstruction efforts," Juan explained, straightening the white neckpiece he was wearing as he sighed. "But I regret that the glass for the windows and the door will not be ready until late tomorrow, and we still do not have anything to seal it in place with, either."

"Oh." Lynnie blinked. "That kind of sucks. I mean, uh…"

Juan chuckled. "Ah, no, you are right, Miss Lynnie. Quite direct, but right."

Lynnie scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "Good. Well, um… Do you think maybe we could just have a practice battle right now or something?"

"Of course. I have heard about you from Wallace, and if everything he says is true, then this should be a very interesting battle."

Juan was smiling as he took a Pokéball off of his belt, but Lynnie felt her eye twitch. Wallace had been talking about her? She crossed her eyes, hoping that the aqua-haired man had only said good things…

"How does a one-on-one match sound to you, Miss Lynnie?"

Lynnie blinked. "Fine! I'm ready for anything."

"Ha! All right, then. I shall use Kingdra."

Juan calmly released the large, blue-and-white seahorse Pokémon into the water nearby. Lynnie paused as she looked at it, remembering that Crys had told her once how tough it was to fight a Kingdra due to their limited weaknesses. However, she hadn't gotten to use Pearl in a while, so she grinned and decided to just use the Grumpig and go with the flow.

"Come on, Pearl!"

Pearl materialized on the shore next to Lynnie, curiously looking at the Water-Type as it carefully looked back at her. Lynnie grinned, already figuring out what attack to use.

"Start with Shock Wave, okay?"

"Grum!"

Nodding, Pearl leaned forward slightly as thin sparks shot out of the pearl on her stomach. The electricity formed into a circular shape and danced towards Kingdra, but it still looked oddly calm. Juan nodded as he watched the attack, and then called to Kingdra.

"Please, block with Dragonbreath."

Kingdra obediently shot the spark-laced breath attack from its mouth, and the Dragonbreath collided with the Shock Wave right before it would have hit Kingdra. As the two moves hit, there was a small explosion, and smoke rose into the air. Crossing her eyes again, Lynnie realized she had to come up with something different.

"Okay, use Shadow Ball this time!"

Pearl raised her hands in front of her face, and a round shadow started to form between them. She then threw her hands forward when the Shadow Ball grew larger, aiming carefully at Kingdra. It tried to duck under water to avoid the attack, but it dodged a second too late. Kingdra's head was still grazed by the attack, causing it to tumble backwards through the water. Lynnie crossed her fingers, but sighed when Kingdra managed to recover.

"All right, Kingdra, attack with Water Pulse."

"King…"

Kingdra slowly started to form the Water Pulse, blasting watery rings from its mouth. Lynnie blinked, quickly trying to think of a counter.

"Pearl, use Psywave!"

In response, Pearl shot a wavy, rainbow-colored beam out of one of the pearls on her head. The Psywave shot through the Water Pulse and hit Kingdra, this time dead-on. However, seconds later, the water attack still hit Pearl, making her stumble over.

Lynnie held her breath, and Juan looked slightly ruffled himself as they watched the two Pokémon. Kingdra had sunk down into the water when hit by the Psywave, and it slowly floated upwards with its eyes closed. Then Pearl crashed to the ground, unable to get up as well.

"Huh? Did they both faint?" Lynnie cried.

"Ah… It appears so," Juan replied mildly. "That was indeed a very interesting battle, Miss Lynnie. I have had many wins and losses before, but very few draws."

He resignedly withdrew Kingdra as Lynnie recalled Pearl. The blonde then sighed as she clipped Pearl's Pokéball back onto her belt.

"Yeah, it was fun, I guess. It wasn't a real gym battle though, right?"

"Hm… I suppose… Perhaps tomorrow, we could have a formal battle in the gym."

"But you already said the gym's not built all the way yet!"

Lynnie got more confused when Juan smiled mysteriously. How could they have a gym battle without a gym? Juan was the leader, and he didn't even seem to care…

"You could be my first challenger in the new building. We can fight on the gym's foundations," he answered, a tinge of pride in his voice. "Surely that is fine with you? It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, I am sure. And besides, it shall be a good indicator of how well the builders are doing, yes?"

Lynnie blinked, not realizing at first that Juan was kidding due to the subtlety of the joke. However, a few seconds later, she burst into giggles.

"Yeah! That sounds great!"

Juan nodded. "Very well! It is decided. I recommend you get some rest, Miss Lynnie!"

He then turned and waved regally, heading towards the Pokémon Center. Lynnie eagerly waved back, figuring she should probably go to the Center herself…

However, she then shook her head. Despite the fact that Sootopolis most likely didn't look as nice as it once had, she definitely hadn't had a chance to look around the last time she'd visited the city… She'd rest after she did some sightseeing, she decided with a grin.


	53. Chapter Fifty One: Vs Luvdisc!

_Author's Notes_: So… More of Juan and such. His team is a bit shortened from his Emerald team… I didn't give him Whiscash because Kagurin has Turquoise, and Crawdaunt is just lame and really easy to beat anyway. I am aware Luvdisc is even worse, but it was too funny to leave out…

**Chapter Fifty One: Vs Luvdisc!**

Lynnie sighed as she kicked her feet up on the seat next to her. She was currently eating dinner in the Pokémon Center, and unfortunately, there hadn't been much for her to see in Sootopolis. True, most of the houses and other buildings looked pretty nice with the rebuilding, but Sootopolis was smaller than she'd realized.

Quickly, Lynnie finished off the last piece of her chicken and stood up. Yawning as she headed towards the cafeteria's door, she rubbed her eyes sleepily. Lynnie certainly hadn't been that tired before, but she definitely needed sleep if she was going to the gym the next day.

As she stepped into the hallway leading to the Center's common room, Lynnie blinked as she heard voices. She sped up a bit, and when she arrived in the room, she saw a small group of people sitting in the middle of the room. Most of them were sprawled out on top of their sleeping bags, but there was a girl sitting up in the middle of the group.

"So," she started, popping her bubble gum as she toyed with her equally pink hair. "I, like, tried to go out to the Cave of Origin earlier, y'know? Only they totally didn't let me near it!"

"Um, Jenny," a dark-haired boy frowned. "You realize that the cave is really weak from those quakes, right? It could crumble if anything else happens to it."

"Yeah, but I heard you can really see ghosts out there," Jenny scowled.

"Pfft, yeah. I went out there once, and the only ghosts I saw were a few stray Sableyes," another girl giggled. "And a Mawile. You know that place is actually just a shrine, right? It's called the Cave of Origin because rare Pokémon breed there sometimes."

"No, it's because of the spirits, and—" the boy started to protest.

"That's Mt. Pyre," another boy snorted.

Lynnie giggled as well when the group burst into laughter. Grabbing herself a sleeping bag, she sighed as she rolled it out in the back of the room. She sort of wanted to go look at the cave now too, but of course, she wouldn't be able too.

"Oh well," Lynnie mumbled, crawling into her sleeping bag. "At least I have something else to do tomorrow!"

Grinning, Lynnie slowly nodded off as she thought about her gym battle…

* * *

When Lynnie woke up the next morning, it was surprisingly less bright than she was used to, indicating that she hadn't slept _quite_ as late as usual. Yawning and blinking, Lynnie simply folded her sleeping bag instead of rolling it up all the way—there weren't any members of the staff watching—and hurried to turn it back in. She was hungry, and breakfast had always had more of a priority to her than straightening her bedding even when she was at home.

Unfortunately, Lynnie had apparently woken up at about the same time as most of the other trainers had, and the breakfast line was long. She crossed her eyes as she got into line, sighing. Normally, she didn't have to wait so long as she woke up after everyone else. After several moments of waiting, Lynnie was finally able to grab a plate and a few biscuits.

There was one empty table left when Lynnie got through the line, and she quickly sat down and started eating. She admittedly tried to eavesdrop on a few conversations while she ate, but there were too many people talking for her to hear anything clearly. Sighing, Lynnie finished off the last of her biscuits, and got up to throw away the plastic plate.

When she got out to the lobby, there were several trainers milling around, apparently waiting for their Pokémon to be healed. A few more trainers came into the Center, and Lynnie quickly headed to the door when the group moved away from it. She hoped Juan would already be at the gym, and she grinned as she closed the glass door behind her.

Lynnie walked down the slight ramp in front of the Pokémon Center until she reached the shore. Most of the ground in Sootopolis was like that—it rose slightly and curved around, making a wide ridge along the volcano's wall that houses could be built on. Then, there was the small island in the middle of the lake with the gym, and Lynnie's grin widened as she released Skipper.

"Pert!" Skipper greeted as she materialized in the water.

"Hey, Skipper," Lynnie replied. "Will you take me over to the gym there?"

The Swampert blinked in confusion as she looked at the half-completed concrete building on the island. However, she nodded and let Lynnie climb onto her back.

"Actually, they're still rebuilding it," Lynnie explained. "But I think they're almost done. And Juan, the Gym Leader, said we could go anyway."

"Swamp," Skipper replied in understanding.

Fortunately, it only took a few minutes to reach the small island, and Skipper paused to let Lynnie get down off her back and onto the somewhat rocky ground. The blonde reached for Skipper's Pokéball, nodding as she looked up at the Water-Type.

"Thanks, Skipper."

Lynnie withdrew Skipper as she turned to look at the gym. It looked much bigger up close, and even the door was made of concrete too. She sighed as she realized it had to be heavy, and leaned into it slightly as she turned the knob.

"Hey, Juan?"

Lynnie's voice echoed around the nearly empty room. There were a few small statues of Water Pokémon around the gym, which must have been saved from the old building—a few of them were dented. A large pool was in the middle of the room, and a small, heart-shaped Pokémon was filling it up with water.

"Ah, that is fine, Luvdisc."

Luvdisc stopped and caught its breath, and looked up cheerily. Juan was standing near the edge of the pool, and he nodded in confirmation. He then looked across the room and saw Lynnie, smiling in welcome.

"Good morning, Miss Lynnie," he called. "It is good to see you so early."

"Yeah… Uh, so there aren't any tricks or anything to the pool, are there?"

Juan blinked, looking bewildered. "Tricks? Whatever do you mean?"

"Oh," Lynnie deadpanned, whishing she'd thought before she'd spoken for once. "Never mind. I guess I'm used to all the other gyms being weird or something."

Juan laughed, sounding more fascinated than mocking. "I see. Well, would you care to get started?"

"Well, yeah!" Lynnie grinned.

"Very well," Juan replied. "I shall start with Luvdisc."

"Luv," the Water-Type agreed mildly.

"Okay, I'll use Domino, then!"

Lynnie instantly reached for the Breloom's Pokéball, and Domino materialized next to her. He looked curiously at the pool, dipping his foot in and quickly stepping back, before he looked over at Luvdisc. It was floating placidly in the water, blinking at the larger Pokémon.

"Luvdisc, please begin with Water Gun."

"Mach Punch, Domino!"

The small Pokémon puckered its beak-like mouth slightly, and then shot a small stream of water at Domino. He tried to duck and then leap in for a Mach Punch, but he didn't dodge quite in time. Domino was still hit by the attack, and he stumbled backwards, more unbalanced than hurt.

Lynnie crossed her eyes as she came up with a new attack. "Okay, use Giga Drain instead!"

Domino nodded and leaned forward slightly. A bright, yellow-green glow surrounded both him and Luvdisc, and the Water-Type started to droop as the small bruises on Domino's stomach started to heal. After a few seconds, Domino looked fine while Luvdisc looked weak.

"Now use Bullet Seed, Domino," Lynnie called.

"Loom!"

Domino turned around with a jump, raising his tail. Several small seed shot out of the growth on the end of his tail, striking Luvdisc in the side. It cried out in surprise as it skidded through the water, hitting the side of the pool. Luvdisc closed its eyes and sank down a bit in the pool, apparently not ready to fight any more.

"Not bad, Miss Lynnie," Juan commented as he withdrew Luvdisc. As he took a new Pokéball off oh his belt, he went on with, "Now prepare for Sealeo."

A large, blue-and-white seal Pokémon materialized next to Juan, on the floor as opposed to in the pool. Juan must have caught Lynnie's confused look, as he proceeded to chuckle.

"Ah, Sealeo can indeed swim, but it is somewhat difficult due to its bulk."

"Oh, right," Lynnie replied, crossing her eyes again. "Okay… Well, Domino, use Bullet Seed again."

Domino immediately raised his tail again, blasting the attack at Sealeo. Admittedly, a few of the seeds ricocheted off of Sealeo's stomach, but most of the attack seemed to cause damage… The Water-Type winced as it was struck in the side and neck.

"Hm… Sealeo, try Ice Beam."

Sealeo managed to recover and nodded. It opened its wide mouth, and a ray of ice started to form. The Ice Beam widened as Sealeo shot it towards Domino, and ice started to coat him from the feet up. Domino blinked as he was frozen up to his neck, unable to move.

Lynnie frowned. "Well, at least you got in an attack, right?"

Domino tried to nod but failed, and Lynnie withdrew him. She paused, thinking about Sealeo's Ice Beam, but then grinned.

"Okay, come on, Oakley!"

The Shiftry appeared next to Lynnie, stretching. True, Oakley would be vulnerable to the ice attack, but Lynnie had an idea.

"Use Razor Wind, all right?"

"Shift!"

Oakley spread out her fan-like hands, and then whipped them forward, causing three small whirlwinds. As the tornados sped across the pool and towards Sealeo, they picked up water, forming three mini-whirlpools. The whirlpools hit Sealeo one at a time, catching the Water-Type and spinning it upwards. It spun out of the top of the combined whirlpools and flew forward, crashing into the pool with a large splash. After a few seconds, Sealeo resurfaced, but it was lying on its side with its eyes closed.

"Ah, that was quite resourceful."

Juan withdrew Sealeo and reached for his last Pokéball—Kingdra, Lynnie remembered. She then grinned and scratched the back of her neck before Juan released the Water-and-Dragon-Type.

"Well, I do something sort of like that with my Swampert sometimes. Except, you know, it's actually a Whirlpool."

"I should remember that if you choose to use your Swampert, then," Juan replied, his eyes twinkling slightly as he released Kingdra into the pool. "Either way, I am down to my third Pokémon."

"No problem… Oakley, use Extrasensory this time!"

"Smoke Screen, Kingdra."

Oakley narrowed her eyes, and a dark purple glow formed around her. However, before she could launch the attack, Kingdra shot a film of smoke from its mouth, blocking it from view. As Oakley blinked, Juan went on with another move.

"All right, Kingdra, now use Water Pulse."

The wave of water shot through the smoke, dissipating it, but it was too late for Oakley to hit anyway. Surprised, Oakley tumbled backwards as the attack hit her and crumpled to the floor. Kingdra looked on calmly as Oakley tried to get back up in vain.

"Oh well, you still did pretty well, right? Come on back, Oakley."

Lynnie withdrew Oakley and then paused. She could only use one more Pokémon—it was pretty much a given that the battle was supposed to be a three-on-three. However, Kingdra had managed to beat Pearl the previous day, and Lucky didn't like battling…

_But Juan already knows about Whirlpool now_, Lynnie sighed inwardly. _But… I didn't tell him about Mud Shot… If that makes any difference… Probably not, but whatever._

"Eh, I'll use Skipper."

The Swampert materialized in the pool, across from Kingdra. Skipper blinked curiously, but Kingdra looked as calm as ever.

Juan smiled mysteriously. "Kingdra, use Dragonbreath."

"Skipper, use Whirlpool and Mud Shot!"

Kingdra started to blast the electrical breath attack at Skipper immediately. However, Skipper managed to form a Whirlpool just in time, and she shot it at Kingdra. The other Water-Type was caught in the vortex, and Skipper fueled the attack with a Mud Shot.

As Kingdra spun up through the combo, the Dragonbreath shot through the side of the whirlpool, hitting the upper part of one of the gym's walls. Lynnie and Juan held their breaths for a moment, but the wall only dented very slightly, and they sighed in relief. A few seconds later, Kingdra shot out of the whirlpool as well, and it fell into the pool with a much smaller splash than Sealeo had.

However, like Sealeo, Kingdra rose to the pool's surface a few moments later on its side. It blinked weakly, but then closed its eyes. Juan smiled resignedly as he withdrew it.

"Very good, Miss Lynnie."

Lynnie grinned as she withdrew her Pokémon too. "Yeah, it was! I almost thought I was going to lose for a minute before I picked Skipper."

Looking slightly amused, Juan walked around the pool to Lynnie. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a blue, triangular badge. When he handed it to her, Lynnie grinned and proudly clipped it onto her bag's strap—she finally had all eight badges.

"So this makes your eighth badge, yes?"

"Uh huh! This is great," Lynnie bragged slightly.

"In that case… I believe this year's Pokémon League Tournament is beginning soon," Juan replied thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "Next week, if I recall correctly. The tournament is in Evergrande City; that is not far from here, distance-wise, but it is quite a long way if you are riding a Pokémon. I would recommend trying to find a boat in Lilycove—it is much closer to here, after all."

"All right!" Lynnie forced a grin, but she couldn't help getting the feeling that she'd overlooked Lilycove's dock the last time she'd been there…

"Well, best of luck to you, Miss Lynnie."

Juan reached out his hand for a handshake. Lynnie took it and grinned, winking.

"Thanks, Juan! Bye!"

Lynnie turned to head for the door, a euphoric feeling swelling in her stomach as she left the building.


	54. Chapter Fifty Two: Vs Gardevoir!

_Author's Notes_: So, Wally's back… Lilycove City is fun, too. And no waterfall when we get to Evergrande, by the way, as I found it kind of pointless.

**Chapter Fifty Two: Vs Gardevoir!**

"Swamp?"

Skipper peered over her shoulder at Lynnie. The pair had left Sootopolis's Pokémon Center earlier that morning after spending the night, and were currently surfing towards Lilycove. They had been swimming for at least a few hours, and a shoreline was steadily becoming visible to their left. Lynnie immediately pulled her PokéNav off of her bag's strap, sure they were going in the right direction—and she was proven right after she checked the device's map function.

"Yep, that's it, Skipper!"

"Pert!"

Nodding, Skipper leaned forward and swam as quickly as she could, but it was clear that she was a bit tired. Fortunately, Lilycove's shore was closer than it looked, and the water started to get shallower after a few minutes of swimming. Lynnie quickly slid off her Swampert's back and reached for her Pokéball.

"Thanks, Skipper," Lynnie grinned. "I'll be sure to stop at the Pokémon Center soon. And I'll get you something for lunch, too."

"Swamp," Skipper replied, grinning back.

Lynnie recalled Skipper and clipped the Pokéball back onto her belt. Her grin widened as she turned around and started walking away from Lilycove's beach. The sand quickly merged into soil and then paved sidewalks, and as Lynnie started walking around, she felt like it had been forever since she'd last been to the city.

Of course, a few weeks were a long time to Lynnie, but at least she still remembered where everything was… For the most part, at least.

Fortunately, it only took a few minutes of weaving through the crowded sidewalks before Lynnie found the Pokémon Center. When she entered, there were several other trainers scattered around the lobby, probably waiting for their Pokémon to be healed. A few of them were towards the middle of the room while there were a few others occupying one of the large couches along the wall. Lynnie's ears perked up as she walked to the counter in the back of the room, trying to pick up on the groups' conversations.

"…Too bad I missed out on this year's Grand Festival," one of the girls on the couch sighed. "I was training my Plusle and Minun especially for the double battle you have to do at the end."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," a shorter girl answered sympathetically. "I did all that training with my Ludicolo for the appeals round, but we just weren't ready in time."

"I was a few minutes late when they had registrations going on, and they'd already given out the last form," the first girl sulked.

"Oh, man, that's terrible," a boy sighed. "I wanted to sign up too, but I only had two ribbons."

"I still stayed to watch the Festival, of course. Didn't you guys?"

Lynnie crossed her eyes. People were still talking about the Grand Festival? Then again, according to Johnny and Lydia, it _was_ a really big deal, and it only happened once a year… Shaking her head, Lynnie took a few more steps toward the counter, and she could hear the other group a bit more clearly.

"So, the Pokémon League tournament is happening soon, right?"

"Yeah, but you have to have eight badges to enter, Kai," a lavender-haired girl laughed.

"H-Hey! I only need one more! How much longer do I have to get it?" Kai huffed.

"About a week if I remember correctly," another boy cut in. "And will you two stop arguing? You could be practicing or something right now!"

"All right, all right," the girl grumbled. "Hey, Kai, let's go out to Mt. Pyre later. I heard there are some rare Pokémon that live around there, so even if we don't train, we might be able to catch something good…"

_I just got MY eighth badge_, Lynnie thought smugly as she passed the group. _Ha!_

As she arrived at the counter a moment later, a white-suited assistant quickly took her Pokéballs as soon as she took them off her belt. Blinking, Lynnie watched him hand them to a Chansey, and the pink egg Pokémon hurried into the small room behind the counter to hand them to the pink-haired nurse. The blonde crossed her eyes; true, quick service was nice, but that had been a bit odd.

_Oh well_, she sighed inwardly as she shrugged. _Might as well go get something to eat while I wait…_

Grinning again, Lynnie headed towards the back of the lobby, following the hallway that led back to the cafeteria.

* * *

Lynnie curled up in the common room earlier than usual—right after eating dinner, in fact, instead of going out and looking around Lilycove some more. Sure, there was a whole week until the League Tournament, but she wanted to wake up early and get the first boat possible to Evergrande City. The sooner she could get there, the sooner she'd be able to look around there, after all. Grinning, Lynnie giggled to herself as she thought that she might even get to see some of the other trainer's Pokémon, depending on how many others came early too.

Shifting her bag slightly so the softer side would be under her head—she didn't want her badges to poke her overnight or anything—Lynnie crawled into her borrowed sleeping bag. Then she rolled over so she was facing the wall; like usual, she'd gotten a spot in the corner of the room. Lynnie untied her bandana and closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep.

However, just as she started to drift off, her bag twitched and was suddenly yanked from under her head. Lynnie winced as her head hit the floor, and she instinctively reached for a Pokéball. Grabbing Skipper's (it was the closest to her, as she'd lined up her Pokéballs next to her sleeping bag and had put Skipper's first), Lynnie pressed the release button and scrambled out of her sleeping bag.

"Go, Skipper! Use Water Gun!"

As the Swampert materialized next to Lynnie, she nodded obediently and shot a small stream of water out of her mouth. The attack hit a tall, skinny boy, who stumbled and sputtered the water out of his face as he brushed his dripping, long brown bangs out of his eyes. He clutched Lynnie's bag tighter to his chest, however, glaring at her.

"Hey, give me my bag back!" she demanded. "I mean, it was right under my head. I noticed that you took it, you know."

The boy took a few steps backwards and didn't respond, and his fingers ran over the badges clipped onto the bag's strap. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie snapped her fingers, and Skipper nodded again. When she launched another Water Gun, Lynnie quickly leaned forward and grabbed her bag as the boy stumbled again. Victoriously, Lynnie put her bag back over her shoulder and held onto it with both hands.

"Say you're sorry."

He mumbled something under his breath that indeed sounded vaguely like "sorry." However, Lynnie put a hand on her hip and cupped her other hand around her ear.

"I can't hear you!" she sang.

"I'm sorry!" the boy shouted, drawing the stares of a few trainers who had just then entered the common room. "It's just that you have eight badges and I only have four! One week's not enough time for me to go get the other four."

"Well, these badges are mine! I earned them," Lynnie replied, bragging slightly. "And besides… If you can't even beat Gym Leaders, what makes you think you can win at the Pokémon League, anyway?"

"H-Hey, now—"

"What's going on in here?"

A blue-suited member of the Pokémon Center's staff poked his head into the room suspiciously. Apart from the trainers who had just walked in, Lynnie and the thief were the only two other people in the room, so the scuffle must have been easy to hear… The man's eyes flicked over the people in the room, pausing on the boy's wet hair and settling on Skipper, and it was then that Lynnie realized that she'd forgotten to withdraw her. She quickly recalled Skipper, but it was too late.

"You two! Fighting's not allowed in the common room," he scowled. "Miss—"

"He tried to steal my bag!" Lynnie protested.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to attack me!"

"Enough! I'm going to have to ask both of you to leave."

Lynnie shot the boy a glare as she passed him and walked back through the hallway. When she reached the lobby, she sighed, figuring that she'd at least be able to stay in the hotel. Pushing open the building's glass doors, Lynnie crossed her eyes, glad that she at least remembered the hotel's location even if it was far away.

As she wound through the now lamp-lit but still busy sidewalks, Lynnie stretched and looked around. She paused as she caught sight of the Contest Hall, seeing a few lighted windows. There was a bright sign near the door, reading "Practice Contests, 9:00 a.m. — 9:00 p.m."

"I guess that's what they do when they're not having the Grand Festival, then," Lynnie grumbled, realizing she'd never really thought about it before.

Following a few more turns in the sidewalk, Lynnie arrived at the Cove Lily Motel several minutes later. As she opened the hotel's wooden door, she frowned and dug around in her pockets, hoping she'd have something to pay for her room. She managed to find a few bills as she approached the counter and looked at the greeter—a young, bored-looking lady with bleach-blonde hair.

"Hiya," she said, popping her gum. "A single room?"

"Yeah," Lynnie yawned. "How much is it for one night?"

"Um… Hold on a sec…" The secretary looked down at a sheet on her desk, frowning as she ran her finger down the list. "'Kay, it'll be a hundred Poké."

Lynnie quickly set the money down on the counter, and the woman pulled a card key out of her desk drawer. It clicked slightly as she set it on the counter and slid it towards Lynnie.

"Room 1A. It's, like… The first door on the right, I think," she drawled.

"Uh… Thanks."

Lynnie raised an eyebrow as she took the card. Despite the fact that she doubted the woman's words, she took the right turn anyway. Fortunately, 1A was indeed the first door she saw. As she inserted the key into the card slot, the lock clicked, and Lynnie opened the door.

Unlike the room she'd shared with Kagurin and Lydia, the room Lynnie had now only had one bed and a recliner instead of two beds and a couch. There was a TV, but it was smaller than the one in the double room, and the dresser was a bit smaller, too. However, as Lynnie sat down on the bed, she noticed that it was still almost as nice as the bed she'd had before, even though it had a few fewer pillows.

"Oh well…"

Sighing, Lynnie set her bag down on the floor next to her bed and kicked off her sneakers. She rolled over and reached for the lamp on the bedside table, turning the switch and letting the room go dark. Lynnie closed her eyes and slowly smiled—at least the bed was more comfortable than the Pokémon Center's floor.

* * *

When Lynnie woke up the next morning, sunlight was streaming through the window. She quickly slipped her shoes back on and grabbed her bag, ducking into the room's bathroom. Looking in the round mirror, Lynnie finger-combed her hair and straightened her bandanna. Then, she headed to her room's door, making sure she had her card key.

Lynnie followed the long hallway, reading the directional signs until she arrived in the familiar cafeteria. The breakfast line was pretty short, so it had to be fairly late… Grabbing a plastic plate and dishing herself up a few waffles, Lynnie sat down at a nearby table and grabbed a small container of provided syrup. After she'd sufficiently drowned the waffles, she put the jar back in the middle of the table and picked up her fork, eagerly eating her breakfast.

As she ate, Lynnie pulled her PokéNav off of her bag, trying not to drip syrup on the device as she opened it. Selecting the map feature, she zoomed in on Lilycove and tried to find the city's dock. Fortunately, it didn't look too far from the Contest Hall, so it would be easy to see when she was getting close.

Finishing her waffles, Lynnie closed her PokéNav and stood up to throw her plate away. She headed back into the motel's lobby and walked over to the front desk, pulling her card key out of her pocket. The same woman who had been there the night before was still there, flipping a page in a magazine before noticing Lynnie.

"Checking out already, hon?" she blinked.

"…Yeah," Lynnie replied, quirking an eyebrow. _Don't call me 'hon.'_ "Here's my key."

Lynnie set her key down on the counter, and the woman slid it into the designated slot in her desk drawer. Looking up, she flashed a brief grin and turned back to her magazine.

"Have a good day."

Crossing her eyes, Lynnie forced a "Thanks" as she headed towards the door. As she closed it behind her, Lynnie started walking towards the Contest Hall again. The dock was only a few turns away from it, after all, and that would be the easiest way to find the building.

Soon, Lynnie passed the large, red building, sighing slightly. At least if she ever wanted to enter the Grand Festival again, she already had three ribbons… But that somehow seemed like cheating.

She hurried past the Contest Hall, only looking over her shoulder once, and kept following the winding sidewalk. Just when she was starting to get frustrated with all the turns, she finally saw a large concrete building a few feet ahead of her that sat on a small shoreline. As she got closer to it, she saw a large boat anchored by a wooden platform behind the building, and there was a sign nearby that read "Lilycove Harbor." Grinning, Lynnie managed to push open the heavy door and hurried inside.

The interior of the building was almost as plain as the outside—it was all concrete, too. However, at least there were several rows of wooden benches inside, several of which had trainers in them. There was also a counter in the back of the room with a large screen behind it, and Lynnie hurried over to it. As she got closer, she could see "Evergrande City Ship Schedule" on the screen, with several times printed below that.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm guessin' you want a ten o'clock ticket, huh?"

Lynnie blinked when she heard the voice; she hadn't noticed the large man sitting at the counter. He straightened the collar on his sailor outfit and cleared his throat again.

"Uh, yeah," Lynnie said quickly.

"Fifty Poké, then."

Lynnie grumbled under her breath as she reached into her pocket. How much did she have to spend that day, anyway? However, she quickly set the money down on the counter, and the man handed her a blue ticket.

"That leaves in fifteen minutes. I'd recommend goin' on out there."

Slipping the ticket in her pocket, Lynnie nodded. "Okay, thanks."

"Good luck, by the way. See ya."

Lynnie waved as she left, realizing that he'd probably given tickets to several other trainers already. When she got outside, she hurried over to the dock platform, walking up the ramp that led to the boat's deck. There were already a lot of trainers on board, and several of them were talking cheerily with an elderly man in a trench coat and sailor's hat that Lynnie assumed was the captain.

"Hi! Lynnie!"

Lynnie blinked—the voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. As she turned around, she saw a short, skinny boy with green hair waving and hurrying over to her. When she saw the Gardevoir calmly trailing after him, something clicked in her head.

"Hey, it's Wally!" Lynnie grinned. "So, you snuck away after all!"

"Yep!" Wally nodded excitedly. "I have a bunch of Pokémon now, and I even have eight badges. I think I'm ready to enter the Pokémon League."

"Wow, that's—"

Lynnie started to comment, but the captain suddenly pulled a whistle out of his coat and blew into it. When the trainers on dock looked up at him, he smiled and waved.

"All right, it's time to cast off," he called. "You can head downstairs to the cabins and kitchen if you want, or you can stay up here."

The group watched curiously for a few minutes as a couple of the deckhands slowly pulled the anchor on board. As the ship started to drift away, the captain hurried over to the ship's steering wheel and gave it a quick turn, and soon they were turning away from Lilycove. After watching the shoreline shrink in the distance, a few trainers headed on downstairs. Lynnie started to head after the group, but Wally grabbed her sleeve.

"Hey, Lynnie? Would you like to have a practice battle?"

"Like, right now?" Lynnie blinked.

"Yep! It would be fun, right?"

"Of course it would be fun!" Lynnie nodded as Wally grinned.

"Well, I guess I'll lead with Gardevoir then!"

As the Psychic-Type drifted in front of Wally, Lynnie thoughtfully reached for a Pokéball of her own…

_A/N: Yes, yes, I'm trying not to put "…" at the end of my chapters so much and I know that's a lame place for a cliff hanger. But I promise I won't "…" at the end of next chapter, and at least this gives you a hint as to what will happen._


	55. Chapter Fifty Three: Vs Delcatty!

_Author's Note_: The Wally battle is fun… Although he really should have had Manectric or at least Electrode instead of Magneton. Oh well. Also, Evergrande City is one of my favorite locations in Emerald too.

**Chapter Fifty Three: Vs Delcatty!**

"A battle right now? All right, you're on!"

Lynnie grinned at Wally as she reached for a Pokéball. If he was leading with Gardevoir, then she already knew what to use…

"Come on, Oakley!"

Grabbing the Shiftry's Pokéball, Lynnie quickly released her. Wally's eyes widened for a moment as Oakley materialized next to Lynnie; he must have realized he was at a type disadvantage. However, he then shook his head and forced a grin.

"O-okay," he started hesitantly. "Fire Punch, Gardevoir…!"

Lynnie crossed her eyes. "Oakley, use Shadow Ball!"

Small embers started to form around Gardevoir's thin arms, and it started to drift forward with its hands raised. However, Oakley instantly lifted her fan-like hands, forming a large, shadowy ball in between them. As Gardevoir got closer, Oakley threw the Shadow Ball forward, and it collided into the Psychic-Type's stomach. Crying in surprise, Gardevoir winced as it was thrown backwards through the air a few feet.

While Gardevoir regained its footing, a few of the trainers that had remained in deck looked up in surprise when they heard the battle going on. Grinning as the other trainers curiously came over to watch, Lynnie decided that battling for a crowd was definitely more fun… It was time to start showing off.

"Let's go with Shadow Ball again," she smirked.

"Gardevoir, use Thunderbolt!"

Oakley raised her hands again and started to form another Shadow Ball. Before she could launch the attack at Gardevoir, though, it delicately folded its arms across its chest as sparks started to form around it. The Thunderbolt flew forward at the same time as the Shadow Ball, and the two attacks collided in midair, causing a small explosion. Oakley and Gardevoir tried attacking again a couple more times, but the attacks continued to strike each other, and after a few minutes they were both looking worn out.

"Great," Lynnie mumbled. "Now what… Oh! Hey, Oakley! Try Faint Attack this time."

The Grass-Type nodded as Gardevoir started to form another Thunderbolt. As it started to shoot the attack at Oakley, she darted forward and seemed to vanish, causing the electricity to simply hit the deck. Then, seconds later, Oakley appeared behind Gardevoir and rammed her shoulder into its back. Crying out in shock, Gardevoir stumbled forward and crumpled to the floor, wincing.

Wally blinked as Lynnie's smirk returned. Gardevoir looked up apologetically at him as it tried and failed to get up, but he smiled and shook his head as he pulled out its Pokéball again.

"It's okay, Gardevoir, you tried…" Withdrawing Gardevoir, Wally took a different Pokéball out of his pocket. "I'll try Delcatty next!"

He pressed the release button on the ball, and a large cat Pokémon with purple ears materialized next to him. It primly licked a paw before looking up at Lynnie and Oakley, and the blonde rolled her eyes slightly. True, Oakley was a bit tired, but Delcatty didn't look all that tough.

"Hm… Use Solar Beam, Oakley."

"Uh, use Assist, Delcatty!"

Nodding, Oakley slowly opened her mouth as a large, yellow-green beam started forming inside it. She then leaned forward slightly and shot the beam at Delcatty, but before it hit, the Normal-Type yawned disinterestedly. As it did, a few small embers appeared in its mouth, and then it started to blow a Flamethrower at Oakley. The fire attack cut through the Solar Beam and struck Oakley, and the singed Shiftry skidded backwards.

The singed Shiftry collapsed near Lynnie's feet, and Lynnie crossed her eyes for a moment. Something on Wally's team knew Flamethrower…? Shaking her head, Lynnie withdrew Oakley and frowned.

"That was cheap," she grumbled. "Really. At least Domino sort of has an advantage…"

Lynnie released the Breloom, and he bounced slightly as he looked at Delcatty. It rolled its eyes, and Domino cocked his head to the side.

"All right, go get it with Sky Uppercut!"

Lynnie grinned again as Domino charged forward. Delcatty clearly didn't think highly of Domino, as it sat licking itself for a few more seconds. Soon Domino stretched out his claw, ducked forward, and gave Delcatty a swift uppercut to the side of its face. The started cat yowled as it was launched into the air, and then it fell back onto the deck a few seconds later.

"Now, finish with Headbutt," Lynnie added.

As Delcatty tried to get back up, Domino rammed forward with his head and hit it on the side. Delcatty hissed as it tumbled over again, unable to force itself to stand up. Wally sighed and reached for Delcatty's Pokéball.

"Um… Oh! I'll use Altaria."

Lynnie groaned as Wally released the Dragon-Type, remembering the trouble she'd had with Winona's Altaria. However, she shook her head and decided to stay on the offensive, like usual.

"Sky Uppercut again, Domino."

"F-Flamethrower!"

Domino darted forward again, stretching his claws in preparation for another Sky Uppercut. Before he reached Altaria, it opened its small beak and shot a stream of flames towards him. The Flamethrower didn't hit dead-on, but it still hit, and Domino winced as he was thrown backwards. He started to get to his feet after he landed, but he tumbled over again.

"Nice try, Domino," Lynnie sighed, recalling him. _So that's what knew Flamethrower_, she grumbled inwardly. "I should use Skipper next."

As she reattached Domino's Pokéball to her belt, Lynnie took Skipper's Pokéball and released the Swampert. Skipper looked around curiously as she materialized next to Lynnie, and the blonde grinned.

"Ice Beam, Skipper!"

Nodding, Skipper crouched down and opened her mouth. She launched the Ice Beam at Altaria, and although it tried to lift itself into the air to dodge, it was still hit. The ice slowly covered Altaria, starting with its wings and causing it to fall mid-flap back to the deck. It could still move its neck slightly, though, and it panted as Skipper stopped the attack.

"Um…" Wally was starting to look nervous. "Altaria… Can you, uh… use Dragonbreath?"

Altaria weakly started to shoot the spark-laced breath at Skipper, but Lynnie grinned. Looking at Skipper, Lynnie nodded as she came up with an attack.

"Skipper, use Mirror Coat!"

Nodding back, Skipper paused for a moment and watched the Dragonbreath come a bit closer. Then, she closed her eyes, and a thin, translucent screen materialized in front of her. The Dragonbreath rebounded off of the Mirror Coat, striking Altaria square in the face. It winced as its own attack hit it, and looked like it would have collapsed if it hadn't been frozen to the deck.

Wally gulped. "Okay… Come back, Altaria… I guess I'll use Magneton next."

Lynnie put a hand on her hip and giggled as Wally recalled Altaria and released his Magneton next. Skipper would be immune to electricity… Unless… She crossed her eyes suddenly, wondering if Wally had another trick he was planning.

"Um, use Hidden Power, Magneton!"

The Electric-Type buzzed and flashed briefly, and then was surrounded by a pale green light. Small leaves formed between its magnets and started to launch towards Skipper, and Lynnie blinked. Of course it had to be a Grass-Type attack…

"Quickly, Skipper, use Ice Beam!"

Skipper obediently launched the ray of ice, and the leaves were covered in frost. As they froze, they fell to the deck with a light thud, and Lynnie grinned.

"Okay, now use Mud Shot," she continued.

Skipper leaned forward, launching the attack from her mouth. The Mud Shot collided with Magneton dead on, and the magnet Pokémon was thrown backwards through the air. When it fell to the deck, Skipper shot a second attack at Magneton, and it buzzed weakly as the mud covered it.

"M-Magneton…" Wally mumbled, biting his lip as he withdrew it. "Well, I'm on my last Pokémon… But…"

Wally hesitantly released his fifth Pokémon—a small Grass-Type with a pair of roses for hands and a spiky head. The Roselia smiled demurely as it looked up at Lynnie, its petal-like feet crossing in a small bow. Lynnie crossed her eyes; it was practically too cute to knock out. However, she shook her head and grinned.

"Skipper, just use Ice Beam on it. I bet it'll faint easily."

"R-Roselia, use Magical Leaf!"

Skipper started to form another Ice Beam, but before she could, Roselia raised its roses. Its smile suddenly turned mischievous, and a flurry of leaves and petals shot out of its roses in spirals. The attack quickly struck Skipper, and she stumbled backwards in surprise.

Looking more confident suddenly, Wally smiled and continued. "Okay, now try Giga Drain!"

Roselia was immediately surrounded by a pale green glow, as was Skipper a few seconds later. Then, Skipper started to look tired and pant, while Roselia seemed to get more energetic. After a few seconds, Skipper practically wilted as she fell forward, crashing into the deck as Roselia triumphantly folded its arms.

"Ack! Skipper!" Lynnie cried, reaching for her Pokéball. "My bad… Eh… I should use Pearl."

As Lynnie recalled Skipper, she reached for Pearl's Pokéball and released the Grumpig. Pearl scratched the back of her neck nervously as she looked at Roselia, but then smiled as Lynnie nodded at her.

"This shouldn't be too hard," Lynnie whispered. She then announced, "Use Psywave, Pearl!"

Pearl closed her eyes, and a rainbow-colored wave shot out of one of the pearls on her forehead. The Psywave struck Roselia, and it stumbled back in surprise but didn't seem too damaged. Shrugging, Lynnie decided to change attacks.

"All right, use Psychic instead."

As Pearl opened her eyes, they started to glow with a dark purple color, and a purple aura also surrounded her. The psychic energy then blasted towards Roselia as Pearl threw her arms forward, and the Grass-Type cried out delicately as it hit the floor. It managed to pull itself back up, but then instantly toppled over again; its roses were even drooping.

Wally smiled sadly as he withdrew Roselia, and the trainers who had been watching the battle gave some applause. As the rest of the group scattered back across the deck, Wally looked up at Lynnie as she recalled Pearl.

"Wow… Do you think maybe you could help me practice for the Pokémon League? Because, um, I could use some more good practice like that…"

"Sure, that sounds fun," Lynnie grinned.

"Yay!" Wally cheered. "Thanks, Lynnie!"

As Lynnie giggled, the captain pulled a whistle out of his coat pocket and blew it as he left one hand on the steering. The trainers on deck quickly gathered around him, and he looked over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to look at the ocean.

"Guys, looks like we'll be to Evergrande in about an hour or so," he announced. "Just letting y'all know. It'd be a good idea for you to go below deck and relax for a while before we get there."

The group gave a chorus of "All right!" and "Sure!" before scattering again. Most of them, Lynnie and Wally included, slowly filtered down below deck, and Lynnie grinned. Evergrande was getting closer and closer, and she was already getting excited as she thought of the Pokémon League.


	56. Intermission: Vs Magcargo!

_Author's Note_: Another intermission thing! And it's an intermission because Lynnie's taking a break before the Elite Four. The matches don't start for a while, remember? Anyway, Brendan's back, and Wally is still here…

**Intermission: Vs Magcargo!**

"So, that's, like… Two losses, one win, and one tie?"

"Yeah… I really need to practice more, don't I?"

Lynnie and Wally had sat down at one of the various snack stands in Evergrande City after having a battle. After the boat had arrived, the two of them had wandered around sightseeing most of the time… But they'd also had a practice battle each day. While they waited for the vendor to return with their chips, Lynnie had counted Wally's record.

"Well, you did beat me that one time," she replied, tapping her chin. "And we tied yesterday."

"But you still beat me twice," Wally sighed.

"Ah, here you are…"

The vendor suddenly turned around from his snack shelf and handed a small bag of chips to both Lynnie and Wally. Simultaneously, they started digging through their pockets for money, and then handed the man a few bills. As he nodded to them, Lynnie and Wally stood up and turned away, opening their bags.

"Anyway…" Lynnie crunched on a chip as she started talking again. "That's better than before, at least."

Wally nodded absently as he put a few chips in his mouth. At the moment, he seemed a bit more occupied with looking around, and Lynnie actually couldn't blame him. Evergrande was huge; it was at least twice the size of Mossdeep, and it was filled with various stands and small buildings. The paths were well-trimmed and circled the large fountains that lined the middle of the island.

However, the most prominent feature of the island was the huge arena on its northern edge. The oval-shaped structure easily dominated the skyline, and Wally tended to get a bit nervous looking at it. Lynnie, on the other hand, couldn't wait to fight in it—she liked battling in front of crowds much more than Wally did.

"Hey, Lynnie! I didn't think you'd be here so early."

A familiar voice rang through the air, and Lynnie blinked as she looked away from the Pokémon League arena. Brendan was jogging over to her and Wally from a souvenir stand a few feet away, and he waved as he got closer.

"I didn't think _you'd_ be here at all," she replied, crossing here eyes. "You're entering the tournament?"

Brendan scratched the back of his neck as he looked away. "Well… I was thinking about doing the gym challenge, you know… But as it turns out, I only ended up getting four badges. It's because of my fieldwork and stuff… Oh, hey, Wally."

"Hi, Brendan!"

"H-huh?" Lynnie blinked. "You guys know each other?"

"I was out on Route 118 a while ago, and I met him there." Brendan shrugged. "Small world, right?"

"Yep!" Wally answered brightly. "Well, um… We've been practicing… What are you doing, Brendan?"

The taller boy shrugged, straightening his hat. "Dad said I could come out here and see the tournament, and he let me come early. He said he'd come on the day the battles start, by the way. Oh, and he also said to remind you to register later, Lynnie. You have to sign up on the day before the battles start, so that's in two days."

"Okay, great! Hey, want to come back to Pokémon Center with us later?" Lynnie asked. "We've been staying there and it's even bigger than that motel in Lilycove!"

"Sounds fine. Hey, speaking of battles, we haven't had one in a while, have we?"

"You're right," Lynnie grinned, catching the hint. "Should we have one now?"

"But Lynnie, we just had a battle this morning…" Wally pointed out.

"It's okay, we stopped at the Pokémon Center earlier, remember? Anyway, Brendan, you want to have a one-one-one?"

"Sure. I'll use Magcargo!"

As Brendan released the fire snail, Lynnie instinctively reached for Skipper's Pokéball. However, she'd already used Skipper that morning in the battle, so she figured the Swampert didn't need another practice yet. Instead, she reached for Pearl's Pokéball, and her grin widened as the Psychic-Type materialized next to her.

"Okay, Pearl! Let's lead with Psychic."

"Flamethrower, Magcago," Brendan countered.

Magcargo blinked and slowly opened its mouth to launch the Flamethrower. At the same time, Pearl's eyes started to glow, and a purple aura surrounded her. As the Flamethrower started to approach Pearl, she unleashed the Psychic, and the two attacks hit in mid air. The two Pokémon tried to attack again a few more times, but each time, the attacks collided again.

"Oy," Brendan grumbled, folding his arms. "This is getting no where. Magcargo, switch to Rock Slide!"

Lynnie blinked as small bits of Magcargo's shell crumbled off and hit the ground. The gravel then launched through the air and hit Pearl before she had a chance to respond. Surprsied, Pearl stumbled backwards, but managed to catch herself before she fell. Shaking her head slightly, the Grumpig stepped forward again.

"Phew... All right, Pearl! Use Shock Wave this time."

Pearl leaned forward slightly as small circles of sparks started forming around the pearl on her stomach. The electricity was then shot forward in a round wave, and while Magcargo tried to crawl to the side to dodge, it was too slow. It was hit directly by the Shock Wave, and it winced as the attack spread over its back and neck. However, a few seconds later, Magcargo was still able to raise its head, although it was panting.

"Good, Pearl! You should be able to finish it off with Psybeam."

"Quick, Magcargo, use Flamethrower one more time!"

Pearl instantly shot a rainbow-colored beam out of one of the pearls on her forehead, and a few seconds later, Magcargo managed to launch a Flamethrower. The Psybeam managed to hit the Fire-Type, but Pearl was also hit by Magcargo's attack. Both Pokémon looked a bit wobbly, and both fell over at the same time.

"H-Huh?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"Ha..." Brendan laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he withdrew Magcargo. "That was shorter than i expected... Are you _sure_ you're ready for the League, Lynnie?"

"Hey!" Lynnie huffed, recalling Pearl as well. "I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I'm ready!"

"Um, guys," Wally cut in timidly. "Y-You were both good... So, uh... Maybe we could go on back to the Pokémon Center or something?"

"Ah, yeah, that sounds nice," Brendan decided. "I just got here, so I'm kinda tired."

"Okay, then, follow me," Lynnie smirked, putting her hands on her hips as she started walking.

"Lynnie? I think that's the way back to the snack stand we were just at..."

Brendan started laughing as Wally spoke up, and Lynnie felt her face redden. Grumbling under her nreath, she immediately turned around and started walking teh right way, trying to ignore Brendan as she and Wally looked for the Center.


	57. Chapter Fifty Four: Vs Blaziken!

_Author's Note_: Sorry for taking so long to update this time, but I was busy with finals and other end-of-school-year stuff.

Anyway, it's Pokémon League time... I'm going to do this a bit different from both the game and the anime. Oh, and remember Adrian? She's back with some more lovely androgynous Pokémon, and Johnny and Lydia get cameos...

And by the way, I probably won't be updating This Saturday either, as I will be at an Anime con with a couple of friends. So, sorry about that, but it gives you more time to enjoy this chapter, ja? Plus, this one is pretty long, so it should make up for that.

**Chapter Fifty Four: Vs Blaziken!**

"Lynnie..."

The blonde squeezed her eyelids more tightly closed as she felt an insistent poking on her shoulder. Sitting up reluctantly, she slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she saw Brendan kneeling down next to her. He had a resigned look on his face as he stood up and folded his arms.

"Well, finally. I've only been trying forever."

"Hey!" Lynnie grumbled. "It's still early..."

"Yes, but you need to go register for the League Tournament before it gets too late," Brendan sighed. "Wally already went a little while ago."

Sighing as well, Lynnie crawled out of her sleeping bag, deciding Brendan had a point; the registration started that morning, and they only went until the evening. She was still surprised that Wally had already gone, though... As she hastily folded up her sleeping bag, Brendan folded his arms in impatience.

"As if I didn't already know you're not a morning person."

"What? Oh, never mind! Put that away for me."

"Huh?"

Brendan put his hands on his hips as Lynnie darted for the door. She stopped to catch her breath and looked over her shoulder, crossing her eyes.

"I'm going on down there, duh!"

"No breakfast?

"No! Besides, I want chocolate right now and the vending machines never work until lunchtime!"

Rolling his eyes, Brendan watched Lynnie dash down the hallway to the Pokémon Center's lobby. He then knelt down, picked up Lynnie's sleeping bag, and carried it over to the return box. Shrugging, he then walked out to the lobby himself, deciding to go to the cafeteria and get a bite to eat.

* * *

Several minutes later, Lynnie arrived in front of the Pokémon League arena, out of breath. She slowed down slightly as she walked up to the small table in front of the building's arch-shaped entrance. A bored-looking woman in a blue suit was sitting there with a small stack of forms, and she blinked as Lynnie approached.

"Form?"

"Uh, yeah," Lynnie replied dubiously, raising an eyebrow.

The woman passed a form and pen to Lynnie rather disinterestedly. Blinking, Lynnie sighed and started to fill the form out. It was surprisingly short; all she had to write down was her name, age, team, and address.

"Oh, by the way... I need to see your badges."

As Lynnie slid the form back across the table, she shifted her bag's strap so the woman could see her badges. She nodded as she took Lynnie's form.

"Right. Matches start tomorrow at ten. Report here at nine-thirty."

"Okay!"

After she replied, Lynnie turned back around and decided to head back to the Pokémon Center. As she started walking, her mind started to drift off, and she wondered if Wally was back at the Center yet. Consequently, she wasn't paying attention, and stumbled slightly when she accidentally crashed into someone.

"Lynnie...?"

Scratching the back of her neck as she stood up, Lynnie grinned sheepishly as she looked at the girl she'd bumped into. She looked familiar, but it took Lynnie a second to recognize her.

"Hey, Adrian! What's up?"

"I just filled out a League form," Adrian answered calmly.

"Right... Wait, what? Don't you just have Gardevoir? And I didn't know you were getting badges..." Lynnie frowned.

"No, I have a Machamp and an Alakazam too," Adrian smiled. "And I just got my eighth badge yesterday."

"Oh. Well, hey, do you want to come back to the Pokémon Center with me? I just filled out my form too, and I was going to go get something to eat..."

"That sounds fun," Adrian agreed. "I'm here by myself, so I suppose I could just stay with you until tomorrow morning."

"Great! Let's go."

Lynnie grinned as she and Adrian started walking back towards the Center...

* * *

"Um, Lynnie?"

When Lynnie and Adrian arrived in the Pokémon Center, they saw Brendan and Wally the lobby. Brendan stood up from the couch he'd been sitting on, and Wally followed after him. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Adrian, and Lynnie folded her arms over her chest.

"C'mon, Brendan, Adrian was at the Grand Festival, remember?"

"It's okay, Lynnie. I don't think I've actually met them before," Adrian answered. "Nice to meet you two. I'm Adrian Edgeworth."

As she shook hands with Brendan and Wally, Brendan grinned. He'd evidently noticed the three Pokéballs on Adrian's belt, and his interest suddenly seemed to get stronger.

"Hey, now that I think about it... Yeah, didn't you just have a Gardevoir before?"

"Oh, no, I had Machamp and Alakazam then, too. Gardevoir just liked contests the best out of my three Pokémon."

"I have a Gardevoir too," Wally grinned. "I was never in a contest though... Um, Adrian? Are you going to be in the League, too?"

"Why, yes. If we fought, it would be interesting."

Suddenly, Lynnie's stomach growled loudly. She grinned sheepishly as the three others stared at her.

"Hey... you guys wanna go get lunch or something?"

"I just remembered something; I passed a pretty nice-looking pizza stand on the way to registration," Adrian nodded. "It should be open by now."

With that, the group of four left the building, giggling as Lynnie cheered.

* * *

"You guys should probably be getting to sleep early, right?"

The group of four had just returned to the Pokémon Center that evening, and Brendan reluctantly admitted that they needed to get to sleep. They'd spent most of the day wandering around Evergrande City, excitedly looking at all of the various stands and souvenirs that had been set up in honor of the League Tournament. Adrian and Wally had even bought licenced badge cases; the cover was decorated with a Pokéball logo and the words "Fifteenth Annual Hoenn League Tournament."

"Yeah, we have to be there by nine thirty," Adrian yawned, crawling into her sleeping bag.

"Y-Yeah... Good night, everyone..." Wally mumbled, sliding into his sleeping bag as well.

Sighing, Lynnie and Brendan got into their sleeping bags and rolled over. Lynnie squeezed her eyes shut, determined not to oversleep for once.

* * *

The next morning, Lynnie stretched and yawned as she sat up. Slowly opening her eyes, she grinned as she realized she was the first one awake of the four; the light coming through the common room's windows was even still a bit dim. A few seconds later, though, Adrian started to stir, and she smiled sleepily as she sat up.

"G-Good morning, Lynnie," she yawned, and then instantly checked her watch. "We have about... an hour before we have to go. Want to get breakfast?"

"Yeah! Brendan and Wally will probably be right after us anyway. Plus, I'm _starving_!"

Adrian laughed as she and Lynnie stood up. Excitedly, Lynnie scurried down the hallway towards the lobby, and Adrian hurried after her.

* * *

"I still haven't seen them at all. Have you, Adrian?"

After eating, Lynnie and Adrian had decided to go on to the arena. However, Brendan and Wally hadn't shown up all through breakfast, and they still couldn't find the two boys. However, before they got a chance to look around too much, they suddenly heard a loud screeching sound.

"Contestants, please report to the front desk, please!"

As the voice rang out from a megaphone, Lynnie and Adrian blinked and headed up to the small desk at the arena's entrance. Including them and Wally, who thankfully scampered up a few seconds later, there was a total of only four entrants; there was one other boy. An excited chatter suddenly rose from the various other groups surrounding the area.

"There are only four entrants this year?"

"They were a lot stricter with registration, though! Like, there were lots of people that didn't get in because they only had one or two active Pokémon."

"Yeah... And there are always a few people that try to sign up when they don't have enough badges."

"Hey, I heard there was a nine-year-old who tried to sign up!"

"Is that even legal? Besides, I don't think a nine-year-old could even get _four_ badges, anyway..."

Sighing, the woman at the counter tried to shush the crowd as she looked back to the contestants.

"The beginning round of the League will be a knock-out style contest, with each trainer being allowed three Pokemon each," she explained. "To pick your partner, please draw a slip from this jar."

She held out a small jar filled with four slips of brightly colored paper. There were two different colors, with two of each, so two matching slips would end up battling each other. When Lynnie managed to reach into the jar, she pulled out a blue slip, and tried to peek around for the person holding the other one.

"All right, please let me take note of your colors, and you'll be free to go relax until battles start."

The woman took out two colored pens and made a small mark on each form next to each contestant's name. The four of them then slowly dispersed, lingering around the building's entrance. Lynnie managed to keep up with Adrian and Wally, and waved her slip around excitedly.

"So, what colors did you get?"

"Orange," Adrian and Wally answered at the same time. They then looked at each other with a surprised look.

"I guess you two get to fight each other right away then," Lynnie frowned, crossing her eyes.

"True, but that'll make it more fun, right?" Adrian pointed out.

"Yeah! Hey, you wanna go get a drink or something? We've got time."

Nodding in agreement, Adrian and Wally grinned as they followed Lynnie to a nearby snack stand.

* * *

"This is _so_ stupid. Why are we even here?"

Lydia grumbled under her breath as she followed Johnny to a seat in the coliseum's stands. The taller coordinator had insisted on coming to watch the League Tournament, much to Lydia's bewilderment. He hadn't even told her why he'd dragged her along; not that being with him was a bad thing, but the short brunette was getting impatient.

"Because, Lydia darling!" Johnny grinned all-knowingly as he gingerly sat down on the stone bench. "Lynnie dear is entering. I heard from Kagurin, who heard from Brendan."

"Perfect. Now all we need is the rest of the peanut gallery to show up," Lydia sighed.

"Oh? Kagurin dear said she couldn't make it, but Brendan should be here!"

Groaning, Lydia simply pushed her sunglasses up to the bridge of her nose and stared out at the arena with a bored look on her face.

* * *

"All right, everyone! Welcome to the fifteenth annual Hoenn League Tournament! After a brief tournament between out four entrants, the finalist will get to challenge our current reigning Elite Four and Champion. The Elite Four are four trainers officially sponsored by the League who have stood undefeated for the past few years, except by our Champion! And now, our first battle today will be between Lynnie Maple and Karl Pyrite!"

As the announcer winked to the crowd, Lynnie grinned and walked through the arena's entrance. She was closely followed by her battle match, Karl, a tall, dark-haired boy wearing a red hoodie. The pair bowed when they arrived in the middle of the field, and the audience cheered loudly. Then, they simultaneously reached down to their belts for a Pokéball.

"Go, Blaziken!" he called.

A particularly large Blaziken materialized next to Karl, but Lynnie simply grinned again as the crowd gasped. She knew exactly what to use.

"Come on, Skipper!"

The Swampert appeared next to Lynnie, and Karl had a brief look of surprise on his face. However, he then shook his head and turned to Blaziken.

"Start with Flamethrower, all right?"

"Mirror Coat," Lynnie responded.

The flames on Blaziken's wrists burned more brightly as it leaned forward and breathed a Flamethrower at Skipper. After pausing for a moment, Skipper closed her eyes, and a thin screen formed in front of her. The Flamethrower rebounded off of it, hitting Blaziken. It stumbled backwards when the attack hit, and it looked a bit singed but not too damaged. Lynnie crossed her eyes, but then had an idea.

"Duh! Use Whirlpool and Mud Shot!"

Nodding, Skipper leaned forward and shot a spiral of water from her mouth. She then fueled the Whirlpool with a Mud Shot, and Blaziken was soon caught in the vortex. It spiralled out of the top of the combo a few seconds later and crashed to the floor of the arena. For a moment, it looked like Blaziken could stand up, but then it tumbled over again.

Karl sighed and withdrew Blaziken as the crowd cheered. He reached for another Pokéball, hesitating for a second before picking his next Pokémon.

"Go, Ludicolo!"

A large, yellow Pokémon with a lily pad on its head materialized next to Karl, grinning as it spun around. Lynnie and Skipper blinked at each other, but then shrugged.

"Whatever. Just use Ice Punch, Skipper."

Skipper leaned forward as ice formed around her fist. She swung at Ludicolo and hit it on the side, and it cried in surprise as a small patch of ice formed where Skipper had hit it. However, Ludicolo regained its footing pretty quickly.

"All right, Ludicolo! Recover with Giga Drain."

Karl grinned as Ludicolo closed its eyes. A bright green light suddenly surrounded both Pokémon, and Skipper started to pant as Ludicolo started to look more energetic. The ice mark and the bruise left from Skipper's Ice Punch faded, and Skipper wobbled.

"Skipper!" Lynnie cried. "Come on..."

"Swamp..."

The Swampert tumbled forward, her eyes only half-open. Lynnie smiled slightly as she reached for Skipper's Pokéball, and Skipper tried to smile back. After she withdrew Skipper, Lynnie quickly released Oakley. As the Grass-Type appeared next to her, Lynnie smirked.

"Come on, Oakley! Let's knock Ludicolo out."

"Shift!" Oakley agreed.

"Okay, start with Razor Wind!"

The Shiftry stretched and raised her arms slightly, and then threw them forward as three small whirlwinds formed around her. They joined into one large whirlwind just before hitting Ludicolo, and it was sent flying backwards. It tried to get back up, but Lynnie shook her head.

"Hurry, Oakley, keep going with Aerial Ace."

Oakley quickly jumped into the air, and slashed downwards with her fan-like hands as she landed next to Ludicolo. As she struck it, Ludicolo winced and fell backwards again, this time unable to get back up. Karl started to look nervous again, obviously realizing he was down to one Pokémon now.

"Um... I'll go with Mightyena!"

He released a large, black dog-like Pokémon that growled as it materialized. Oakley still looked calm, though, and Lynnie sighed in relief. As long as Oakley thought she could still keep going, she'd leave her out.

"Okay, Oakley! Use Pound."

"Mightyena, counter with Poison Fang!"

As Oakley reached out to strike Mightyena, the Dark-Type growled again and bit down on her arm. Oakley's skin turned a pale purple color, and as Mightyena released her, Oakley sank to the ground. She winced, covering her arm with her hand, and crumpled a few seconds later.

"That was cheap," Lynnie grumbled, recalling Oakley.

The crowd murmured as Lynnie reached for her last Pokéball. She and Karl were both down to their last Pokémon, so Lynnie decided to use a type advantage just to be safe.

"Go, Domino!"

The Breloom shifted from foot to foot when Lynnie released him. he grinned as he looked at Mightyena, but the dog Pokémon was still glaring.

"Domino, use Mach Punch!"

"Crunch, Mightyena," Karl countered.

Domino darted forward, stretching out his claws. Mightyena paused, waiting for Domino to get closer, and then opened its mouth. Just before it was about to bite down, Domino giggled slightly and leaped behind it, lashing out with his Mach Punch. Surprised, Mightyena skidded to the side, but regained its footing. It then managed to bite down on Domino's tail and swung the Breloom back towards Lynnie. Fortunately, Domino looked more startled than injured as he stood up.

"Let's see if a Mega Drain will finish it off," Lynnie said hopefully.

Domino closed his eyes and was surrounded by a dull green glow. Seconds later, Mightyena also started to glow, and it whined as it started to wilt. As it got more and more tired, Domino's tail wound got more and more healed, and soon Mightyena collapsed.

"Well, there you go!" the announcer cried, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "It looks like Lynnie Maple won that round!"

Lynnie bowed as she and Karl recalled their Pokémon. The crowd cheered even more loudly than they had been during the match, and as they quieted down, the announcer started to speak again.

"Our next match will be between Wally Aspen and Adrian Edgeworth. Whoever wins that battle will get to face Lynnie in the finals, and then that winner will get to face the Elite Four! There will be time between each match for the trainers to heal their Pokémon as well. Now, good luck to Adrian and Wally!"

Lynnie grinned, deciding to go find a seat in the stands so she could watch Wally and Adrian's match...

* * *

Lynnie panted, catching her breath as she finally got a seat in the stands. Looking down to the arena, she groaned in disappointment. Adrian's Alakazam had just knocked out Wally's Delcatty with a Shock Wave, and apparently it was Wally's last Pokémon. She'd missed the whole battle just trying to find somewhere to sit!

"That's it, everyone! It looks like we know who Lynnie will be facing in the finals now!"

The crowd cheered, and Lynnie grinned as well. True, she did feel a bit bad for Wally, but she hadn't gotten to face Adrian in a while. It would be fun to fight her again, and whoever won that battle would get to face the Elite Four and Champion. Getting back up, Lynnie quickly started walking down the stands again, eager to get started with her next battle.

* * *

"And our final will be between Lynnie Maple and Adrian Edgeworth!"

Lynnie grinned confidently to the spectators, while Adrian smiled politely. The announcer then nodded to them, and they simultaneously reached for a Pokéball.

"Go, Machamp!" Adrian called.

"Let's get going, Pearl!" Lynnie answered.

Lynnie released Pearl as Machamp appeared next to Adrian. The Fighting-Type smirked, but Pearl tried to look calm. Crossing her eyes, Lynnie leaned down to Pearl.

"You have a type advantage, you'll be fine," she whispered.

"Grum," Pearl responded, smiling.

"Okay, now use Psybeam!"

"Hyper Beam, Machamp," Adrian countered.

Pearl leaned forward as a rainbow-colored beam shot out of the pearl on her forehead. However, Machamp raised its hands, and a bright yellow ball of energy formed between them. Then, it formed into a beam, and the two attacks collided in mid air.

Lynnie frowned. "Okay, try Shock Wave this time!"

Pearl nodded, and sparks started to form around the pearl on her stomach. The Shock Wave then quickly shot towards Machamp, catching it off guard as it hit dead-on. Lynnie grinned; she might have an opening...

"Right, now that it's surprised, use Psybeam again."

Once again, Pearl launched a rainbow beam from the pear on her forehead. Fortunately, this time it hit, and Machamp stumbled. Pearl immediately launched another Psybeam, and this one caused Machamp to collapse.

Adrian smiled resignedly as she recalled Machamp. She then reached for another Pokéball, pausing for a moment before she released her Alakazam.

"Alakazam, use Thunderpunch."

"Eh... Use Fire Punch, Pearl!"

Lynnie blinked slightly as the two Psychic-Types raised their fists. Sparks formed around Alakazam's hand while embers formed around Pearl's. They then darted forward, reaching out to strike each other. Unfortunately Alakazam was a bit faster, and while Pearl managed to graze Alakazam's arm and cause some damage, she was still hit squarely by the Thunderpunch. Alakazam winced slightly as Pearl stumbled backwards. She tumbled over, but managed to stand back up.

Sighing in relief, Lynnie grinned at Pearl. "Okay, try Shock Wave again."

"Psychic, Alakazam."

Pearl started to launch another Shock Wave, looking hopeful. However, just as the attack was about to hit Alakazam, the human-shaped Pokémon's eyes started to glow. Suddenly, a bright purple aura surrounded it, and it launched the Psychic at the Shock Wave. The Psychic carried the Shock Wave back towards Pearl, and she was hit by both attacks. Crying out in surprise, Pearl tumbled over again, and this time she didn't get back up.

"Good try, Pearl..." Lynnie sighed, recalling her as she reached for a new Pokéball. "Hm... I guess Oakley would be best here..."

Lynnie released the Shiftry, glad that she'd managed to squeak in some time to heal during the break. The Grass-Type stretched and yawned calmly, and Lynnie grinned.

"Okay, Oakley, let's use Shadow Ball!"

"Alakazam, counter with Shadow Ball, too!"

Oakley raised her hands, forming a shadowy ball between them. She then threw it towards Alakazam while it hurriedly tried to create a Shadow Ball as well. Oakley's attack managed to hit Alakazam before it could finish its attack, and it flew backwards through the air before crashing in front of Adrian. It crumpled as it landed, and Adrian's smile was starting to look a bit forced as the crowd cheered; she was down to her last Pokémon.

Adrian withdrew Alakazam and quickly released Gardevoir. The pale Psychic-Type gracefully spun around as it materialized next to Adrian, and Lynnie forced a smile as well. She knew how strong Gardevoir was, after all.

"Let's try another Shadow Ball," Lynnie suggested.

"Thunderbolt, Gardevoir."

Oakley instantly launched another Shadow Ball towards Gardevoir. However, Gardevoir calmly raised its hands as sparks started dancing around it. The Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt collided, causing a small bang.

Lynnie groaned. "All right then... Use Faint Attack!"

Gardevoir started to form another Thunderbolt as Oakley nodded to Lynnie. The Grass-Type darted forward as Gardevoir shot its attack towards her, and seconds later she was running so quickly she looked like she vanished. The Thunderbolt simply left a mark on the ground where Oakley had been, and she reappeared behind Gardevoir. Oakley struck the startled Pokémon in the back, and it skidded forward.

"Great! Now use Solar Beam!" Lynnie grinned.

Nodding, Oakley raised her hands, and a lime-green beam started to form between them. She then launched the attack towards Gardevoir, managing to hit it dead-on. It stumbled and fell over, but somehow still managed to look graceful as it collapsed.

"That's it, everyone!" the announcer cried as the crowd roared. "It looks like Lynnie Maple is going to challenge the Elite Four!"

Lynnie waved excitedly, and a few seconds later, Oakley shrugged and started waving too. Adrian recalled Gardevoir reluctantly, and then started cheering along with the rest of the crowd. Pausing, Lynnie shot a grin to Adrian, and then turned back to the crowd, hoping she could get that much applause during her upcoming battles as well.


	58. Chapter Fifty Five: Vs Absol!

_Author's Note_: So... League Battles start! First up is Sidney, of course.

**Chapter Fifty Four: Vs Absol!**

"I'm... so... hungry!"

Lynnie practically exploded as she, Brendan, Wally, and Adrian sauntered away from the League arena. The announcer had called a quick fifteen-minute break, and Lynnie had decided to stop at a snack stand before hurrying to the Pokémon Center. Currently, Brendan was rolling his eyes while Wally and Adrian laughed.

"You're the one who's been skipping breakfast every day since you arrived here," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well... You know the Center only ever has, like, eggs and biscuits and boring stuff for breakfast," Lynnie shot back, peeling the wrapper off of her chocolate bar. "Besides, I need to get there soon if I want my Pokémon healed on time. Come on!"

Brendan sighed, watching Wally and Adrian jog after Lynnie before picking up his pace as well.

* * *

"I told you it was worth it, dear."

"Now I'm just even more upset that I came!"

The break was almost over, and Johnny and Lydia had just returned to the stands. The brunette folded her arms over her chest as she sat down, but Johnny winked.

"Come on, Lydia darling. Watching Lynnie dear is much more interesting than hanging around the nearly empty Contest Hall with nothing to do, am I right?"

"Whatever. I bet she won't even get past the first Elite Four member."

Sighing, Johnny kicked his feet up on the seat in front of him as he sat down and hoped Lydia would at least pay attention.

* * *

"All right, everyone! Welcome back to the arena!"

The audience whistled as the announcer spoke into her microphone. She bowed, and so did Lynnie; the blond was already back in the arena. As the tall woman straightened up, she waved broadly towards one of the arched entrances of the League.

"Lynnie is about to challenge the Elite Four, and if she defeats them, then she will go on to fight the Champion. Let me introduce our four talented trainers to you!"

More cheers erupted from the crowd as four figures came through the arched path. The group consisted of two men and two women, and Lynnie crossed her eyes as she looked at them... "Strange" wasn't quite the right word, but they definitely didn't look "normal" either.

One of the men could have passed off as _almost _normal if not for his hair; he was wearing a casual vest, sweater, and pair of slacks, but he had a small red mohawk that offset his plain look. However, the other man was wearing a floppy old hat and a raggedy, open trench coat, and his moustache could have used a good trimming. One of the females looked just slightly older than Kagurin, but Lynnie groaned; the tanned girl's floral bikini top and skirt reminded her of Lydia for some reason. The other woman was rather pale, with wavy blond hair and a light blue dress.

"In order of entrance, the current Elite Four consists of Sidney, Drake, Phoebe, and Glacia," the announcer explained. "And coincidentally, Sidney has offered to be the first in line. Additionally, between each battle, there will be a brief break allowing Lynnie to heal if necessary. Lynnie, Sidney, are you ready?"

Lynnie grinned and bowed, and the announcer nodded as the audience clapped. She then turned to the Elite Four.

"I take it that Lynnie is indeed ready. How about you, Sidney...?"

The man with the mohawk smirked as he folded his arms over his chest. "Would I be here if I weren't ready?"

"Ah, no," the announcer mumbled. "Anyway! This will be a three-on-three battle. Whenever you two are prepared, feel free to begin."

"Good." Sidney strode over the arena until he was standing across from Lynnie. "Heh. Someone as young as you making it this far... This battle should be fun."

"Of course it will be," Lynnie replied, matching his smirk.

"All right, then. I'll kick this off with Absol!"

A large, white, dog-like Pokémon materialized next to Sidney, swinging its head slightly to show off the blade on its forehead. Lynnie blinked at it for a second, and the remembered Crys telling her a long time ago that Absol was a Dark-Type. She grinned and instantly reached for Domino's Pokéball, releasing the Breloom.

"I'll start with Domino," she called. "Okay, use Mach Punch!"

"Counter with Slash, Absol."

Domino darted forward, claws outstretched, but Absol looked oddly unfazed. It did wince as Domino rammed his fist into it, but it regained its footing quickly. Then, it lashed forward with the blade on its head, catching Domino by the stomach and knocking him forward. Fortunately, Domino managed to get back up as well, but it took him a few seconds to do so.

Lynnie crossed her eyes, trying to come up with a new attack. "Oh, I know, use Giga Drain this time."

Nodding, Domino closed his eyes, and moments later, a bright green light surrounded both Domino and Absol. The mark on Domino's stomach quickly faded, and Absol started stumbling a bit. Lynnie crossed her fingers, hoping she'd be able to finish it off quickly.

"Okay, use Sky Uppercut now!"

"Loom!"

Domino cried out as he leaped towards Absol, hooking his claws under it and swinging it upward. Absol crashed back to the floor of the arena in a heap, unconscious. Lynnie grinned victoriously as Sidney resignedly recalled Absol.

"Not a bad start... This might be better than I thought. Come on out, Crawdaunt!"

Sidney released a red lobster Pokémon, and Crawdaunt swung its claws around as it appeared next to its trainer. Domino cocked his head to the side curiously, clearly not as intimidated as Crawdaunt wanted him to be.

"Well, let's try Headbutt," Lynnie suggested.

"Heh... Use Ice Beam when Breloom gets close to you, Crawdaunt."

Domino leaped towards the Water-Type, ramming his head int its side. It winced as it slid backwards a bit, but it turned back to Domino after a few seconds. Then, Crawdaunt raised one of its claws and opened it slowly as a ball of ice formed inside it. Crawdaunt launched the Ice Beam at Domino, almost instantly freezing him from his neck down to his feet.

"Bre?" he blinked.

"Oh well..." Lynnie sighed, recalling Domino.

She almost reached for Oakley's Pokéball, but then stopped when she remembered the Ice Beam. Frowning, she reached for Lucky's Pokéball and hoped the Manectric would be willing to battle. When he materialized next to her, he lookecd at Crawdaunt, and then barked at Lynnie.

"Come on, Lucky..." Lynnie scratched the back of her neck. "I'll let you show off! It''l be like a contest..."

"Tric," Lucky sighed, but then he nodded reluctantly.

"All right!" Lynnie cheered. "Okay, use Charge and Spark."

Lucky grinned as well as his fur started to stand on end. Sparks then showered around him and launched at Crawdaunt, and the literally shocked Pokémon tumbled over. Lynnie started to cheer again, but then frowned. That had been a bit too easy... Sure enough, Crawdaunt managed to struggle back to its feet, but it was slightly singed and looked tired.

"Come on, Crawdaunt, use Ice Beam again!"

"Ack! Lucky, use Quick Attack!"

Crawdaunt raised its claw again, starting to form the Ice Beam. However, before it could launch the attack, Lucky darted forward quickly enough that it was hard to see him. Blinking, Crawdaunt paused, and it was then that Lucky crashed into the Water-Type. It crumpled again, and this time it didn't get back up.

"Hey... You're actually good, kid," Sidney smirked. "I'm down to my last Pokémon."

"Who are you calling a kid?" Lynnie demanded.

Sidney simply continued to smirk as he released his last Pokémon. A particularly large Shiftry materialized next to him, and Lynnie gasped.

"Great, just great," she grumbled. "At least I already know about Shiftrys..."

"Okay, Shiftry, use Extrasensory!"

Shiftry narrowed its eyes and quickly launched a blast of energy at Lucky. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to repond, and skidded backwards a few feet. He snarled as he got back up, now more than willing to do something...

"Thunderbolt!" Lynnie cried.

"Shadow Ball!"

The two attacks collided in mid air after the respective Pokémon launched them at each other. A large explosion resulted from the collision, and smoke formed in the arena. Coughing, Lynnie tried to wave the smoke out of her face, wondering if either Pokémon had fainted. When she could see again, she saw both Pokémon had actually fianted.

"Well, look at that! Lynnie technically has one Pokémon left, so she wins!"

Lynnie bowed as the audience cheered, and Sidney cheered as well as he recalled Shiftry, looking sincere. Her League challenge was off to a good start...


	59. Chapter Fifty Six: Vs Dusclops!

_Author's Note_: Okay, so Phoebe is actually one of my favorite Elite Four members, I just hate battling her (just like with almost every other important trainer I like…). Anyway, the battle is actually a bit longer than the one last chapter so I suppose that's a good thing.

And early update this week, as I am leaving on Friday for a family reunion that will be on Saturday. I'll probably have some time to write while I'm there (I'll be gone until next Friday the 27th), so I should be able to post something when I get back.

**Chapter Fifty Six: Vs Dusclops!**

Lynnie sighed as she sank into one of the Pokémon Center's couches. Fortunately, the building was fairly close to the League arena, so she'd gotten there pretty quickly after her battle with Sidney. Adrian had stayed in the stands, but Brendan and Wally had come with Lynnie, and currently the three of them were waiting for Lynnie's Pokémon to finish healing.

"You know, Lynnie, that move at the end was pretty risky," Brendan commented idly, leaning against the shelf next to the couch.

"I-I thought it was kind of cool…" Wally trailed off.

"See?" Lynnie smirked. "Besides, all that matters is that I won, right?"

"Oh, my. That's quite a bold statement for such a little kid."

"Hey!"

Lynnie started to protest as she looked up, and blinked when she saw Sidney. The Elite Four member folded his arms over his chest as he grinned.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to be a sore loser. Whining isn't any fun, right?" Sidney winked. "Anyway, I'm just letting you know that Phoebe's up next."

"Why are you telling me—wait, I mean, thanks!" Lynnie said quickly.

"Isn't that cheating?" Brendan muttered under his breath.

Sidney chuckled. "True, it'd be amusing to watch you go in clueless… But it'd be even better to watch Phoebe be surprised. You do have something that can beat Ghost-Types, right?"

"Ghost-Types?" Lynnie deadpanned, and then realized that had to be Phoebe's specialty. "Oh, yeah! A Shiftry, actually."

"Good girl."

Sidney winked again, and then turned to leave the Center. Lynnie stood up immediately, crossing her eyes.

"I'm not a little kid, already! He kind of bugs me."

"Miss Maple? I have your Pokémon…"

Lynnie blinked as the pink-haired nurse called to her form behind the counter. She hurried over and grinned sheepishly as she took her Pokémon.

"Thanks! Okay, guys, let's get back to the arena."

Hurrying towards the door, Lynnie confidently out a hand on Oakley's Pokéball as Brendan and Wally jogged after her.

* * *

"All right, everyone, welcome back! It's time for our second round, and it'll be between Lynnie and Phoebe."

Lynnie waved excitedly as the crowd whistled; she'd made it back to the arena just in time. As the announcer spoke, Phoebe stepped forward, straightening her skirt as she waved as well.

"It looks like they're both more than eager to begin, so let's let them get this battle started!"

The crowd cheered again, and Lynnie and Phoebe grinned to each other. The brunette took a Pokéball from the decorative belt she was wearing, quickly pressing the release button.

"Go, Dusclops!"

The large, grey ghost Pokémon materialized next to Phoebe, and Lynnie crossed her eyes at it. Dusclops's single eye stared at her impatiently, and she shook her head and reached for Oakley's Pokéball instinctively. Sure, Dusclops looked weird, but it couldn't be too tough to beat…

"Okay, let's go, Oakley!"

Oakley appeared next to Lynnie, stretching and yawning as she looked over at Dusclops. She then looked back at Lynnie, and the blond nodded cockily.

"Start off with Faint Attack," she called.

"Dusclops, use Shadow Punch," Phoebe responded after a brief nervous look.

As Oakley darted towards Dusclops, shadows started to form around the Ghost-Type's fist. It swung out at Oakley as she got close to it, but she shifted just in time and then crashed into it. Dusclops stumbled, but managed to get back up, and it narrowed its eye angrily.

"All right, use Shadow Ball instead, Dusclops!"

"Use Razor Wind, Oakley," Lynnie countered.

Nodding, Oakley spread her arms behind her, whipping up three small tornados. Before she got the chance to throw them forward, however, Dusclops formed a large, shadowy ball between its hands. It tossed the Shadow Ball forward, and it hit Oakley before she could finish her Razor Wind. She lost her balance, but fortunately, she didn't look like she'd taken too much damage.

Oakley quickly whipped up another Razor Wind, and this time she managed to throw the three whirlwinds forward. They collided as they hit Dusclops, and it was caught up in the twister. It flew out of the top of the Razor Wind a few seconds later, and crashed to the ground. This time, it didn't get back up.

The crowd cheered as Phoebe recalled Dusclops. After another brief pause, the tanned girl grinned confidently and released another Pokémon. A black ghost Pokémon that resembled some kind of plushie materialized next to her, and it smirked.

"Come on, Banette! Use Thunderbolt."

Banette raised its arms as sparks formed around it. It then shot the Thunderbolt at Oakley, and unfortunately she didn't dodge in time. The singed Grass-Type managed to get back up, but she was panting weakly.

"You can still get it, Oakley. Use Shadow Ball!"

"Attack with Shadow Ball, too, Banette!"

Like in her battle with Sidney, Lynnie blinked as the two attacks collided in mid-air. Crossing her eyes as the smoke cleared, she hoped the explosion had the same results as before… However, when she could see clearly again, she saw that Oakley had fainted, but Banette was still standing despite its tired look.

"Oh well, you still got Dusclops, Oakley…" Lynnie sighed as she withdrew the Shiftry.

Reaching for another Pokéball, she knew she shouldn't use Pearl or Domino… She then grinned and reached for Skipper's Pokéball. Releasing the Swampert, she smirked and pointed at Banette.

"Okay, Skipper, you know what to do! Whirlpool and Mud Shot, right?"

Obediently, Skipper smiled and leaned forward as she launched the stream of water from her mouth. As it formed into a whirlpool, she fueled it with a Mud Shot, and Banette was soon caught up in the combo. Like Dusclops, Banette was spun out of the attack a few seconds later and crashed to the floor, knocked out.

"Hey, you're pretty good," Phoebe complimented, winking as she recalled Banette. "But… I still have one left!"

She then released a familiar, purple Pokémon with diamond-like eyes and a toothy grin. Lynnie blinked, reminded of Kagurin for a moment as she looked at the Sableye. Then she shook her head, though, and grinned; at least she was prepared to face a Sableye, after all.

"Sableye, try Night Shade."

"Ice Beam, Skipper!"

Sableye's eyes started to glow, and a purple light surrounded it. It then shot the blast of energy at Skipper, and she stumbled backwards in surprise as she was hit. She managed to get back up, though, and shot an Ice Beam at Sableye. The Ghost-Type was frozen to the floor from the shoulders down, and it frowned.

"All right, use Whirlpool and Mud Shot one more time," Lynnie called.

Skipper quickly formed the Whirlpool, following it with Mud Shot. Phoebe's last Pokémon was also caught in the vortex, and like her previous two, it was sent flying to the ground a few seconds later. Lynnie waved to the crowd again as they started cheering; Phoebe joined in the cheering as well as she recalled Sableye.

_I could've been a bit more creative, but oh well. I won!_ Lynnie thought.

"Again, congratulations to Lynnie!" the announcer shouted into her microphone. "This is her second win—will she keep going?"

Lynnie bowed, smiling as she thought, _Of course I will._


	60. Chapter Fifty Seven: Vs Sealeo!

_Author's Note_: Okay, so, here is the battle with Glacia. I think she's my least-favorite Elite Four member, probably because I do not really like Walrein very much, but oh well.

**Chapter Fifty Seven: Vs Sealeo!**

"Do you think we have time to get something to eat?"

"You're _always_ hungry!"

"I'll pick something up if you two want to stay here."

Lynnie sheepishly scratched the back of her neck as Brendan glared and Adrian smiled. The three of them had hurried to the Pokémon Center after Lynnie's match with Phoebe, and although Wally had originally come with them, he'd stopped at a souvenir stand on the way there. He'd told them to go on ahead, so they had.

Currently, Lynnie, Brendan, and Adrian were waiting for the nurse to return Lynnie's Pokémon. Lynnie was actually more bored than hungry, but a snack would have been a nice way to pass the time…

"Hey, I was just kidding," Lynnie sighed, crossing her eyes. "You guys can go back to the arena already if you want to get good seats again."

"Okay," Brendan replied instantly.

"Good luck, Lynnie!"

Adrian waved as she and Brendan headed towards the Center's door. Grinning, Lynnie leaned against the bookshelf next to her as she watched them leave.

_Don't worry, I'm plenty lucky…_

* * *

"Well, Lydia darling, it looks like Lynnie's already made it half-way through with the Elite Four."

Johnny carefully unscrewed the lid on a coke bottle and handed it to the Lydia as the brunette sighed and sat down next to him. She huffed slightly as she took a sip.

"Thank you for going to get my drink, but honestly… I doubt she'll go much farther. Let's just see."

Johnny winked. "Of course. You might be surprised…"

* * *

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, for our third round with the Elite Four!"

Lynnie waved as the announcer twirled her microphone, and the crowd in the stands cheered. Fortunately, she'd actually gotten back a few minutes early… But she still didn't know who she'd be facing.

"Well, now, I suppose you all want to know who Lynnie will be facing," the announcer went on, winking. When the audience roared in response, she continued. "Okay! Our lovely Glacia has offered to be the next in line."

The pale blonde woman politely smiled and curtsied to the spectators. She then turned to Lynnie with a calm look on her face.

"I am new to Hoenn's Elite Four, but I have been in other Leagues in the past," she said mildly. "However, you seem to be very strong as well. I hope our battle will be a good experience."

"Of course!" Lynnie grinned. "Let's get started already."

"If you wish."

Glacia carefully reached for one of her three Pokéballs and released a Sealeo. Lynnie smirked—Glacia probably used Water-Types, just like Juan. She instantly released Oakley, and the Shiftry stretched as she materialized.

"Sealeo, please begin with Water Pulse."

"Use Faint Attack, Oakley!"

Sealeo slowly opened its mouth, and a round wave of water blasted out of it and towards Oakley. Fortunately, as she darted forward, she managed to duck just in time. Then she crashed into Sealeo, causing it to cry out in surprise and skid to the side. However, it managed to blast Oakley with a Water Pulse since she was at such close range, and she stumbled as well.

"Come on, Oakley! Use Giga Drain to recover."

Nodding, Oakley closed her eyes, and soon both she and Sealeo were surrounded by a bright green light. Sealeo started to look more and more tired, while Oakley looked more and more energized.

"Good, now finish it with Pound!"

Oakley raised one of her leafy hands and rammed it into Sealeo. The Water-Type groaned and toppled over, and Lynnie grinned again as Glacia withdrew the fainted Pokémon.

"Hm… You are doing pretty well. However…"

Glacia released a large, round, white Pokémon with pointed ears. Lynnie crossed her eyes as she looked at the Glalie—okay, maybe Glacia trained Ice-Types. She suddenly felt kind of stupid for using Oakley.

"Well, hey, Oakley, let's just try Bullet Seed, okay?"

"Glalie, use Ice Beam."

Oakley cupped her hands around her face as she shot the Bullet Seed at Glalie. The Ice-Type countered by opening its mouth and launching a ray of ice at Oakley. Oakley's Bullet Seed and Glalie's Ice Beam shot around each other, and each attack hit the other Pokémon. Glalie tumbled backwards through the air but managed to get back up, but Oakley wasn't as lucky. She was frozen from the shoulders down, unable to move.

"Oh well, you did pretty well, Oakley," Lynnie sighed as she withdrew the Grass-Type. She didn't have any Fire-Types, and the only thing she had that was good against Ice Pokémon was Domino… She'd just have to risk it. "Come on out, Domino!"

The Breloom appeared next to her, looking curiously up at Glalie. It just sighed in response, however.

"Domino, start with Mach Punch!"

"Counter with Sheer Cold, Glalie."

Lynnie gulped as Glalie's eyes glowed, and it focused sharply on Domino. A pale, thin ray of ice shot towards Domino as he leapt toward Glalie. For a moment, it looked like Domino was going to be hit, but Glalie's aim was just slightly off. Domino's claw rammed into it, and it fell to the arena's floor.

Lynnie grinned. "Great! Now finish with Sky Uppercut."

Nodding, Domino leapt forward again, hooking his claws under Glalie. It flew upwards and then slowly fell back down, wincing as it once again crashed to the floor. Its eyes stayed closed, and it was clearly fainted.

_Oh yeah, I'm on a roll,_ Lynnie congratulated herself, watching Glacia recall Glalie.

However, she blinked when she saw Glacia's last Pokémon. A huge walrus Pokémon with large tusks materialized next to her, and its narrow eyes glared down at Domino. Lynnie sighed, deciding to just keep on attacking.

"Okay, Domino, use Headbutt!"

"Hm… A Sheer Cold will do, Walrein."

Crossing her fingers, Lynnie watched Domino lean forward and run toward Walrein. Like Glalie had done, Walrein focused sharply on Domino as its eyes started to glow. Domino rammed into it just as it opened its mouth, and an audible gasp rippled though the audience.

Seconds later, Domino tumbled away from Walrein. There was a rather large bruise mark on Walrein's side, but Domino had fainted.

Lynnie crossed here eyes as she withdrew Domino. She was now down to her last Pokémon, and for once she wasn't sure what to use. Lucky would be at an advantage, but she'd already used him once in her League challenge… However, she then grinned and reached for Pearl's Pokéball.

"Go, Pearl! And use Shock Wave."

The Grumpig smiled demurely as she appeared next to Lynnie. She then leaded forward as sparks shot out of the Pearl on her forehead. Surprised, Walrein didn't have time to dodge, and the literally shocked Water-and-Ice-Type slowly tumbled over with a loud crash. Lynnie held her breath, wondering if it would get back up. When it didn't she let out her breath, and the crowd clapped and whistled loudly.

"Well, that's it for match three! Will Lynnie do this well in round four?"

Lynnie bowed showily as the announcer called out, determined to make it through her next match as well.


	61. Chapter Fifty Eight: Vs Flygon!

_Author's Notes:_ Yay… Drake battle. Drake's pretty cool, actually. I mean, he's the obligatory League Dragon user (Diamond and Pearl killed the tradition, though).

**Chapter Fifty Eight: Vs Flygon!**

Lynnie grinned as she flopped down on the couch in the Pokémon Center's lobby. She'd just gotten a chocolate bar from the vending machine in the cafeteria, and was waiting for her Pokémon to finish healing. Fortunately, since she was on her fourth round, the break was a bit longer… She had time for a snack, and she wouldn't have to rush as much to get back to the stadium after she got her Pokémon back.

Unfortunately, though, she was by herself. Brendan hadn't felt bothered to get up, Wally was once again at a souvenir stall, and Adrian claimed to have seen someone she knew sitting nearby her in the stands. Shrugging to herself, Lynnie threw her wrapper towards the trash can in the front of the room, figuring that everyone else was just missing out on getting snacks.

"Ah, Lynnie? Here are your Pokémon!"

The nurse smiled as she walked over to Lynnie, handing her the five Pokéballs. She knew Lynnie by name now; after all, the blonde had come by the Center enough. The nurse was probably also keeping up with the League battles, considering that there was a mini-TV behind the counter.

"Thanks," Lynnie grinned, standing up and clipping her Pokéballs to her belt. "I'm going on back to the arena, so see you next round!"

"All right. Good luck!"

Lynnie's grin widened as she walked out of the Pokémon Center. Only one round to go before she could face the Champion…

* * *

"All right, everyone! It's time for the fourth and final round with the Elite Four!"

Lynnie waved as the crowd cheered. As the announcer winked, she went on, causing Lynnie's confidence to rise even more.

"If Lynnie wins here, then she'll get to go on to face our mysterious Champion, and I'm sure you all would like to know who he is, too! Now, it's time for the match between Lynnie and Drake."

All of the Elite Four members were still standing of to the side of the coliseum, and the man in the trench coat stepped forward silently. He reached down to his belt like he was going to get a Pokéball, but then he paused and looked carefully at Lynnie. The blonde gulped; Drake's gaze was starting to get a bit creepy.

"I can see why you've gotten this far," he finally said. "I can see it in your eyes… Even if I hadn't seen your battles, I could tell."

"Um… Tell what?" Lynnie replied, crossing her eyes.

"You… don't know?" Drake raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you really do not understand what I am talking about, I suppose I can explain it to you after our battle. Shall we begin?"

"Ready and waiting!"

"All right. I will lead with Flygon."

Lynnie blinked when Drake released his first Pokémon; it was a large, green Dragon-Type that somehow resembled a bug. Shrugging, Lynnie reached for Skipper's Pokéball, grinning again as she released the Swampert.

"I'll use Skipper, then! Start with Ice Beam."

"Dragonbreath, Flygon."

Nodding, Skipper leaned forward and fired the Ice Beam out of her mouth. Flygon was mostly frozen in place, but it could still move its head. The dragonfly Pokémon still managed to hit Skipper with the Dragonbreath, and she stumbled backwards in surprise. Fortunately though, Skipper managed to regain her footing pretty quickly.

"All right! Now that it's stuck, use Whirlpool and Mud Shot."

Skipper smiled as she started off the familiar combo. She immediately formed the whirlpool and then shot it towards Flygon, fueling it with a Mud Shot. The frozen Pokémon was easily caught in the combo, and it quickly spun out of the top of the vortex. As it crashed to the floor of the arena, the ice coating it shattered, and Flygon weakly put its head down.

"Hm… A quick start," Drake murmured, recalling Flygon. "I will follow with Salamence."

A large, blue Dragon-Type materialized next to its trainer, its long tail thrashing. Lynnie gulped slightly, but then smirked and looked back at Skipper.

"Let's just use Ice Beam again!"

"Counter with Flamethrower."

Skipper started to fire the Ice Beam at Salamence, but it looked oddly calm. After a brief pause, Salamence launched a Flamethrower in response. Skipper's Ice Beam struck Salamence's front two legs, but the Flamethrower melted the rest of the attack away.

"Huh." Lynnie blinked. "Well then… How about Rock Slide?"

"Salamence, use Rock Slide as well."

Skipper and Salamence simultaneously fired off a Rock Slide. As the attacks flew towards each other, Lynnie held her breath. Dust flew through the air, and when things settled down, Lynnie frowned.

Only a few rocks had landed near Salamence, and it had just a few small bruises. Skipper, however, had been nearly buried under a large pile of stones. A bit of Skipper's attack must have flown back towards her when the two Rock Slides hit each other, Lynnie realized. Pouting a bit, Lynnie reached for Skipper's Pokéball again and recalled her.

"Oh well, good try, Skipper. I guess I'll use Oakley next!"

The Shiftry yawned as Lynnie released her. As usual, she didn't look very intimidated as she looked over at the opposing Pokémon. Salamence glared at her, though, as it waited for orders.

"Salamence, use Flamethrower again."

"Counter with Razor Wind, Oakley!"

Salamence started to breathe the fire attack at Oakley as she began to form the three small whirlwinds. Before the Flamethrower could reach Oakley, she threw the Razor Wind forward, and the wind combined with the flames. The fiery whirlwinds crashed into Salamence, and it roared as several large scorch marks appeared on its body.

"Okay, Oakley, I think you can finish it with Faint Attack now," Lynnie called confidently.

Oakley dashed forward quickly, practically looking like she'd disappeared. Then, she reappeared next to Salamence and rammed into its side. It gave a surprised shriek as it slowly wobbled and fell over in a heap.

Drake still looked calm as he withdrew the Dragon-Type. "Hm… It appears I'm down to my last Pokémon. I shall finish with Kingdra."

Lynnie grumbled under her breath as the Water-and-Dragon Pokémon appeared in front of Drake; she'd remembered how tough Juan's Kingdra had been. She straightened up after a few seconds and nodded down to Oakley.

"Let's use Bullet Seed, Oakley!"

"Ice Beam, Kingdra."

Oakley raised her hands as she shot the Bullet Seed towards Kingdra. Unfortunately, when it countered with its attack, it froze the seeds, causing them to crash to the floor. Kingdra then launched another Ice Beam, freezing Oakley in place.

Scratching the back of her neck, Lynnie recalled Oakley. "Well… I guess I'm down to one, too… I'll use Domino!"

The Breloom bounced from foot to foot as he materialized next to Lynnie. Like Oakley, Domino looked rather unfazed as he looked at Kingdra, and Lynnie tried to look calm as well.

_I just need to knock out this one and I can fight the Champion,_ she thought excitedly. _But Domino can't faint either…_

"Mach Punch, Domino!"

"Water Pulse, Kingdra."

Kingdra tried to launch the Water Pulse at Domino, but the Grass-Type was a bit too fast for him. As Domino leapt forward, the water simply hit the arena's floor. Domino's claw then collided with Kingdra's side, and it crashed to the floor as well.

"Okay, now try Sky Uppercut!"

Domino leaned forward and hooked his claws under Kingdra's body. He then tossed it upwards, and Kingdra spiraled slightly as it flew up. It then lazily fell back to the ground, causing a light thud. Kingdra closed its eyes slowly; it had fainted.

The crowd cheered as Drake withdrew Kingdra, and Lynnie grinned rather giddily. She and Domino both bowed, and the announcer stepped forward again.

"Wow, what an intense battle from both sides! Now Lynnie will get to face the Champion!"

The audience continued to clap, but for once Lynnie wasn't watching them. She'd turned back to Drake, because the Dragon Trainer had approached her with a congratulatory smile.

"Do you see now, Lynnie? It's because you work well with your Pokémon."

"Well, yeah, I knew that! Why didn't you just say that before?" Lynnie cried.

"Ha, ha," Drake laughed politely. "I am glad you know. I'm sure you will do well against the Champion."

_Great, not even he will tell me who the Champion is,_ Lynnie sighed. _But he's right._

Feeling even more confident, Lynnie smiled to Drake and then waved back to the crowd one more time.


	62. Chapter Fifty Nine: Vs Gyarados II!

_Author's Notes: _…Wow, it's actually been an exact year since I posted this fic. Well, what can I say? It was fun. I guess it's pretty fitting that Lynnie fights Wallace this chapter, then, right? Anyway, be sure to look over on my deviantART page for some new pics, and check back for the epilogue next weekend.

**Chapter Fifty Nine: Vs Gyarados II!**

"Wow! Lynnie, you really made it far!"

Lynnie giggled. "You don't have to look so surprised."

She, Wally, Brendan, and Adrian had just left the arena after her battle with Drake, and were almost to the Pokémon Center. Lynnie resisted bowing as Wally complimented her; at the moment, Evergrande's streets were too crowded for her to bow, anyway.

"Don't worry, Lynnie, you've been doing pretty well," Adrian commented. "Just make sure you stay offensive during the Champion battle like you have been and you should be all right."

"Yes, but she doesn't even know who the Champion is, does she?" Brendan pointed out.

"Thanks for spoiling the mood." Lynnie crossed her eyes. "It's not like you know either."

Fortunately, the quartet then arrived at the Pokémon Center, and Adrian sighed as she opened the glass door for them. Lynnie practically forgot the argument as she walked towards the counter in the back. However, she stopped suddenly and blinked when she saw the other person already talking to the nurse; there was a rather familiar blue-haired man wearing a white cape getting his Pokéballs back from the pink-haired woman.

"Hello, Lynnie, it's great to see you again," he said, smiling, as he turned around.

"Oh, hey, Wallace. I didn't know you were here…"

"Well, I've been watching the battles, so I've been in the stands the whole time."

"Um, Lynnie? Who's this guy?" Wally whispered curiously.

Lynnie blinked again, and then grinned sheepishly. "Guys, this is Wallace. I met him in Sootopolis City. Wallace, this is Adrian, Brendan, and Wally."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Wallace greeted courteously before turning back to Lynnie. "Juan had a lot of good things to say about you, you know, especially about your battle. Now I can see how right he was."

"Oh yeah, you mentioned Juan that one time, right?"

"Ah, yes. You could say he's my teacher," Wallace explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the arena."

Wallace waved politely as he turned around to leave. Shrugging, Lynnie turned around, and the nurse smiled and nodded as she quickly took Lynnie's Pokéballs. When Lynnie looked back at the three other trainers, she grinned.

"Let's go get something to eat while we wait. The break's pretty long this time."

"It's always food with you…"

Despite Brendan's sigh, the three of them eagerly followed after Lynnie into the Center's cafeteria.

* * *

"I still can't believe she made it this far."

Lydia sulked as she and Johnny sat down in front of one of the various snack vendors around the arena. Johnny winked at her after he handed the cashier a few coins.

"Well, Lydia darling, Lynnie is pretty lucky."

"Yeah, but that's about it," Lydia sniffed.

The vendor quickly turned around, handing a bag of pretzels to both Lydia and Johnny. Grinning, Johnny opened his bag and popped a pretzel in his mouth before responding to Lydia.

"True, but that's what makes her battles so interesting."

"If you say so," Lydia sighed, opening her bag as well and wishing the break would be over soon.

* * *

"Lynnie, you really should be getting back to the arena soon."

The blonde sighed as Adrian made the suggestion. They'd just finished eating, and Lynnie had just gotten her Pokémon back from the nurse as well. Lynnie knew that Adrian was right, but she'd kind of wanted to sit around in the lobby for a while before going back.

"I hate being early, though," she grumbled. "I mean, I'm going to have to sit around and wait for the battle to start for a few more minutes anyway, right?"

"I see your point for once, but you might be able to find out who the Champion is if you go early," Brendan pointed out.

"Besides, we want good seats so we can see you well," Wally grinned.

"Okay, okay, I guess we can go now."

Standing up, Lynnie grinned as well as she walked towards the Center's glass doors. She was starting to get into a battling mood, and the more she thought about facing the Champion, the more excited she got.

* * *

"Good luck, Lynnie!"

Adrian waved to Lynnie as she, Brendan, and Wally walked up into the stands of the Pokémon League. Lynnie grinned as she waved back, leaning against one of the building's arched entrances. There was a surprisingly large number of spectators in the stands, and Lynnie frowned for a moment when she realized that they'd arrived a bit later then they'd thought. However, her grin returned when she realized that she would just be able to start her battle sooner.

"Ah, hello again, Lynnie."

Lynnie turned around, blinking, but then waved when she saw Wallace. The man was straightening his cape slightly, and he smiled as he looked over at Lynnie.

"Hey, Wallace! You'll be watching the battle, right?"

"Of course I will. But look; the announcer looks like she wants to get started soon."

It was true—the long-haired woman was already standing in the middle of the field, turning on her microphone. Lynnie sighed as she turned back to Wallace.

"Okay, I guess I should get on out there. See you later, Wallace!"

He waved to Lynnie as she walked over towards the announcer. Her microphone released a bit of static, and then the announcer winked at Lynnie and started speaking to the audience.

"All right, everyone! We're back for the highly anticipated battle with the Champion!"

The crowd cheered as Lynnie and the announcer bowed. Then, as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, the announcer made a broad, sweeping motion with her hand.

"Okay! It's finally time for the Champion to make his entrance!"

Lynnie's heart pounded in excitement, and there was silence in the stands. Then, a figure could be seen from one of the arches, and as the Champion got closer, Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"W-Wallace?" she cried.

The caped man smiled to Lynnie, and then gave a polite bow to the audience. As they roared excitedly, the announcer continued talking, seemingly oblivious to Lynnie's surprise.

"Our current Champion is Wallace from Sootopolis City! He's only been the Champion for a short time, but has an impressive training record to make up for it. Let's see how well Lynnie will do against him!"

"But Wallace! I thought you said you were watching the battles!" Lynnie sputtered.

"Oh? I was watching you fight, of course," Wallace replied calmly, winking. "And I can say that this will be a very interesting fight. Shall we begin?"

"Y-Yeah," Lynnie mumbled.

"All right, then. I'll start with Gyarados."

Lynnie started to grin as the familiar Water-Type serpent materialized in front of Wallace. She started to reach for Lucky's Pokéball, but then shook her head, deciding it would be better to use Pearl. As she released the Grumpig, Lynnie decided she wouldn't make Lucky battle unless she had to.

"Gyarados… Let's lead with Hyper Beam."

_Well, he's not wasting any time,_ Lynnie grumbled inwardly. Aloud, she countered, "Pearl, use Shock Wave!"

Gyarados launched a bright white beam out of its mouth, and Pearl didn't manage to dodge in time. She tumbled backwards, landing in a heap but managing to weakly get back up. Panting, Pearl leaned forward as sparks formed around the pearl on her stomach. The Shock Wave shot towards Gyarados, and since it looked just as worn out as Pearl did, it didn't have time to dodge either. It crumpled as the attack hit, but it barely managed to stay conscious.

"Okay, Pearl, I bet another Shock Wave will knock it out," Lynnie called confidently.

Nodding, Pearl obediently fired another Shock Wave from the pearls on her stomach. From the previous Shock Wave as well as its own Hyper Beam, Gyarados was too weak to even move too much, so Pearl's attack hit it dead-on again. Lynnie sighed as Wallace recalled Gyarados.

"I feel kind of bad about knocking Gyarados out since I met it before," Lynnie frowned. "But hey, we're doing pretty well, right?"

Pearl attempted to smile, looking pretty weak herself, as Wallace carefully released his next Pokémon. Another serpentine Water-Type appeared next to him, and it coiled itself up gracefully as it looked at Lynnie and Pearl.

"Try Toxic, Milotic."

"Eh, just use Shock Wave one more time!"

Milotic narrowed its eyes as Pearl started to form a third Shock Wave. The Water-Type shot a few small, purple toxins out of its mouth seconds before it was hit by the electricity. It winced slightly, but managed to recover. However, when Pearl was hit by the Toxic, she started to get pale and sweaty, and then she collapsed.

"Well, good try, I guess… I'll use Domino next."

Lynnie reached for the Breloom's Pokéball and released him. He bounced from foot to foot as he looked at Milotic, and the Water-Type still looked oddly calm.

"All right, Milotic, Ice Beam should be sufficient," Wallace commented.

Lynnie crossed her eyes, trying to think quickly. "Use Mach Punch, Domino!"

Milotic slowly opened its mouth, and a thin ray of ice shot towards Domino. He managed to leap out of the way just in time, and he rammed one of his claws into Milotic's side. It gave a delicate cry of pain as it recoiled, but it managed to regain its stance. Lynnie pouted slightly, but then had another idea.

"I know, try Giga Drain this time!"

Nodding, Domino quickly closed his eyes. Both he and Milotic were surrounded by a bright green light, and Domino started to look more energetic as Milotic started to look weak. Eventually, Milotic closed its eyes and fell forward, fainting.

Lynnie felt her heart beat faster again as the audience started cheering. Wallace was down to his last Pokémon, but he still looked as composed as he always did. Taking out his last Pokéball, he released a fairly large Ludicolo. Frowning, Lynnie remembered the Ludicolo she'd fought before facing the Elite Four.

_Oh well, at least I know what to expect,_ she thought.

"Domino, let's go with another Mach Punch!"

"Use Ice Beam when Breloom is close to you, Ludicolo."

Domino jumped forward as speedily as usual, and slammed his claw into Ludicolo's side. The lily pad Pokémon stumbled, but quickly shook itself and fired an Ice Beam at Domino. He was frozen from the shoulder down, and he sighed resignedly.

Lynnie gulped as she recalled Domino; now she was down to her last Pokémon as well. The crowd was cheering even louder, and Lynnie knew she couldn't make any mistakes now. She wanted to show off to the audience, but she had to be careful too.

Eventually, she selected Oakley's Pokéball, and she grinned as the Shiftry materialized next to her. Wallace smiled at her as well.

"Lynnie… I was right. You've done pretty well so far. Whether you win or not now is based entirely upon how much you trust your Shiftry."

"I-I know!" Lynnie replied, still trying to sound confident. "Oakley was the first Pokémon that I actually caught by myself. Of course I trust her."

"Good… That's what I wanted to hear. Now put everything into this last move, all right?"

Lynnie gulped as Wallace looked at her; he wanted to end the battle in one move? However, her grin returned quickly, and she nodded.

"All right. Whatever you do, Oakley and I have a plan."

"Fine. Ludicolo, use Surf!"

Lynnie looked at Oakley, and the Grass-Type nodded back at her, looking completely relaxed. "You know what to do! Use Razor Wind."

Oakley turned back towards Ludicolo and watched as it leaned forward. A huge wave formed behind it and started to crash towards Oakley. At the last second, she spread out her arms and formed the three small tornados, tossing her arms forward again to send them towards Ludicolo. The three small whirlwinds combined to form one large one, and as it spun forward, it crashed into the wave. Both the Surf and the Razor Wind crashed backwards into Ludicolo, and the other Grass-Type was almost immediately knocked out by the combined attacks.

Lynnie felt numb for a moment as she watched Ludicolo fall over; everything was in slow motion for a moment. Then when she saw Wallace recall it, Lynnie cheered and threw her arms around Oakley.

"Oakley! We did it! We won!"

"Shiftry!" Oakley cheered back.

"Wow, everyone! What an amazing battle!"

Lynnie had almost forgotten about the announcer until she heard the woman lead the crowd in another thunderous wave of applause. The blonde bowed giddily, and Oakley followed her example. Then, Wallace walked over to the announcer and politely took her microphone.

"This is Hoenn's newest member of the Pokémon League, Lynnie Maple," he said softly but clearly. "She got this far mostly due to her faith in her Pokémon… and partly due to luck."

He winked at Lynnie as he said the last part, and a few giggles were heard in the audience. Lynnie scratched the back of her neck as Wallace continued talking.

"Lynnie… You have officially earned the title of Champion. Would you like to accept it?"

"Uh…" Lynnie blinked as Wallace handed her the microphone. "Does that mean I have to sit around here all the time now?"

A few more giggles rose from the spectators. Wallace laughed as well, and he shook his head.

"No, you don't. Technically, you only have to be here for tournaments and other formalities. You know I wasn't here all year round, right?"

"All right then! Of course I want my title!"

"Everyone… Please, give another round of applause for Hoenn's new Champion!"

As soon as Wallace finished speaking, the crowd cheered again. Wallace turned off the microphone, and as he handed it back to the announcer, he took Lynnie aside after she recalled Oakley.

"Congratulations, Lynnie. When I first saw you in Sootopolis, when you and your friend managed to summon Rayquaza, I thought you might be able to do this."

"R-Really? I mean, thanks," she answered sheepishly.

"By the way… I've really only had this title for a year," Wallace admitted.

"Who had it before you?"

"Steven, of course. Didn't you know?"

"N-No!" Lynnie felt her eyes bugging out of her head. "He never told me anything like that!"

"He didn't?" Wallace repeated, blinking. "He had the title for quite awhile until I defeated him last year. That's why I gave the Sootopolis Gym back over to Juan."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Of course not. Juan had the gym before me… He'd planned to retire until I asked him if he was up to running it again. Oh, how old are you, Lynnie?"

"I-I'm twelve, why?" Lynnie answered, feeling a bit dizzy from everything Wallace had just told her.

"Because, in that case, you are the second-youngest person to hold the Champion rank. Steven held it since he was eleven, and I was the first person to defeat him in seven years. I just thought that was interesting, is all."

"I… I… I'm so confused now!"

Lynnie stumbled, partially out of confusion and partially out of tiredness. When she toppled over and collapsed, Wallace gently caught her and started carrying the blonde towards one of the arena's arched entrances.

"Take a rest, Lynnie. You've earned one."


	63. Epilogue: Vs Swampert!

_Author's Note_: And this is it… Hoenn Adventures is over. It was really fun writing this, and thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review! Big thanks especially go to SH313 and Parrot-San for reviewing almost every chapter, Latias Eevee for being the hundredth reviewer, BeautifulLoner and RandomTopic for dropping by in the later chapters, and Miguelzinho for giving me some concrit in the first few chapters. However, I appreciate everyone who supported this fic, and I hope you enjoy the epilogue!

**Epilogue: Vs Swampert!**

"This thing flies so weirdly!"

"Shut up. I'm giving you a ride home, aren't I?"

"Okay, okay."

Lynnie crossed her eyes as Brendan's Tropius slowly beat its leafy wings. It was the afternoon after the League tournament, and after hanging around and waiting for Lynnie to finally wake up, Brendan had offered to fly her back home to Littleroot. They were currently almost to the small town—they'd just passed Oldale Town—and the trip hadn't taken quite as long as they'd expected.

However, Lynnie was starting to sulk as Tropius slowed down. During the whole ride, it had kind of felt like Brendan was hiding something… Frowning, she tapped him on the shoulder.

"By the way, what is it you're not telling me?" she pouted.

"I have no idea what you mean," Brendan replied, a bit too innocently. "Oh, look, there's Littleroot."

Sure enough, Route 101's trees were starting to spread out, and the familiar dirt paths and box-houses of Littleroot Town greeted them. Tropius landed in between Brendan and Lynnie's houses after a few more moments, its feet hitting the ground with a slight thump. Brendan grinned as he recalled it, and then turned back to Lynnie.

"Well, congratulations, Champion."

"That sounds funny," Lynnie commented, shrugging. "Oh well. My mom's probably all excited and stuff, so I better go in and—"

"Calm her down?"

The front door of Lynnie's house opened, and Norman's rather amused voice drifted out to meet them. His arms were folded over his chest, but he was leaning against the doorframe and was smiling slightly.

"D-Dad?" Lynnie blinked. "I didn't think you'd be home…"

"Well, it's a good thing he was, because we wouldn't have been able to find your house otherwise!"

Suddenly, Kagurin ducked around Norman and grinned at Lynnie, and she was closely followed by Crys. A rather energized Johnny darted out as well, and an extremely reluctant Lydia followed after him.

"Huh? Kagurin? I thought you had to go back to work!" Lynnie sputtered. "And when did you get here, Crys? And what about Johnny and Lydia?"

"Don't you want us here, Lynnie?" Kagurin questioned, trying to look insulted but failing horribly. "My parents could let me off for one day."

"And League tournaments are always broadcasted internationally," Crys added. "My mother and I were watching the matches yesterday, and she let me buy a train ticket so I could come over here."

"Oh, Lynnie dear! I never got to tell you, but Lydia darling and I were there at the arena. All I had to do to figure out your address was bother Norman."

"But you still don't have a Balance Badge," Lydia snorted. "Not to mention you dragged me all the way here as well…"

"Ah…" Lynnie blinked, her brain still trying to process everything that had just been said. However, she then whirled around and looked at Brendan, putting her hands on her hips. "Hey! This is what you were hiding! You knew everyone was going to be here, didn't you?"

"Big deal," Brendan replied, rolling his eyes. "I mean, they're all here for you anyway, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"And besides, your mom said she was going to cook something. Her food is _good_."

The entire group laughed as Brendan pushed through to the front door and ducked inside. The four others followed suit, but before Lynnie could go inside as well, Norman put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lynnie…"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"You remember what you told me after the Grand Festival, right? That you wanted to keep improving?"

Lynnie shifted slightly. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I think you definitely have," Norman continued. "Your mother and I are both proud of you. Now, come on inside and see her, all right?"

"Of course I was going to see her! Especially if she has food!"

The blonde giggled as she walked into the house's kitchen, and Norman chuckled before closing the door behind him. All six trainers had managed to pile around the kitchen table, and Mrs. Maple was walking down the stairs with a surprised look on her face.

"Oh, my," she murmured, her eyes widening. "You all look rather crowded. Please sit in the living room while I finish dinner."

With a chorus of "All right!", everyone promptly tumbled into the red-and-black-clad living room. Norman and his wife shook their heads but grinned.

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting so many people to come over," Norman commented.

"Yes, well, this _is_ a big deal, isn't it?" Mrs. Maple smiled as she opened the oven, carefully removing a tray of rolls. As she set the tray down, she looked up into the living room just in time to see Lynnie release Skipper and order her to use Water Gun on Lydia. "Besides, I think they're having fun!"

Norman sighed, shaking his head as Lydia grabbed one of the small pillows from the end of the couch and threw it at Lynnie in response. "You have such an odd idea of fun."

* * *

"Thank you for the food, Mrs. Maple!"

"Ah, you're welcome, Crystal."

"Hmph. It would be much more enjoyable if that thing was in its Pokéball."

Lynnie, Kagurin, and Brendan snickered as Lydia sniffed indignantly. The group had just finished eating dinner; apart from the rolls, there had also been salad and lasagna. Everyone was still sitting at the kitchen table, and Skipper was standing behind Lynnie with a small grin on her face.

"Don't worry, Lydia darling. I don't think Lynnie dear will have her Swampert attack you too many more times this evening," Johnny said with a wink.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Lydia scowled.

"What it sounds like, duh."

Lynnie giggled again as Brendan shot his response to Lydia, and the rest of the group laughed as well. It had definitely been a fun dinner, and Lynnie was glad to finally be home.


End file.
